


Stronger Together

by sapphireej



Category: The Night Shift (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-18 11:57:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 113,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2347655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphireej/pseuds/sapphireej
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drew and Rick's happy reunion is ruined when an accident puts Rick's life in danger. Drew comes out to support the man he loves. Rick's faced with a permanent physical change, but knows he's not alone, because he and Drew have always been and always will be... stronger together. (M/M fic - don't read if you don't like!) (Spoilers up to 'The Night Shift' episode 2x01 - 'Recovery')</p>
<p>This story was first posted on July 21, 2014 on my FanFiction dot net (FF) account (as SapphireEJ) and LiveJournal (LJ) account (as SapphiresFic). I never had a chance to post them on here, until now (September 22, 2014). I'm going to back date the first few chapters I post to the original date they were posted on FF and LJ and once I'm caught up, I will do my best to add chapters as I update the story on my other accounts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not so happy reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> **Please read - A/N3:** In March of 2013, my dad lost his left leg, just below the knee, due to an infection that antibiotics couldn't heal in his foot and lower leg. It was not something my mom, my dad and I were really ready for, but we didn't have a choice. It was either lose his foot and a little of his leg or take a chance on the infection spreading to other parts of his body and doing more damage... or worse. His recovery still is rocky, but he's alive. It's not the same life he had before, but he's here (he has other medical issues, too). Just after his amputation, my mom's cancer returned and she began treatments again, so I have become both my dad's caregiver and my mom's. With that said, I have seen all of the emotions that an amputee goes through, before, during and after the amputation. After watching 'Coming Home' and learning that Rick would only be in this episode of season 1, I wanted to write something that really showed his recovery, because I imagine season 2 will pick up at least a few months after season 1 ends, so they may not focus much on Rick's immediate recovery and I hope with my experience I'm able to show that in this story. I commend Luke Macfarlane for the way he portrayed Rick and showed all the emotions one could go through being faced with such a major life change; my dad went through them all and I deal with them on a daily basis.
> 
> Underlined text: quotes from the show - I don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

**Wednesday**

"Hold it!" Drew called out, moving through the sea of soldiers following their captain to the elevator to go for surgery.

Rick held back a gasp when he heard his boyfriend's voice. They'd had some problems that night, their anger getting the best of them a few times and from Drew's actions earlier, he was the last person Rick expected to appear. The moment Rick and Drew locked gazes, all their issues from that night washed away and Rick bit his tongue to keep from breaking down in front of everyone.

Drew swallowed his fear and after a quick calming breath, he stepped forward, putting all his focus on the only person in the world he truly loved. Pausing right next to the gurney, he reached out and took Rick's hand, "I'm gonna be there for you" he started, stepping closer, "I promise," Drew leaned in and rested his free hand on Rick's neck, so he could look his boyfriend in the eyes. Trying to stay strong and fighting the urge to start crying, Drew smiled weakly, "I love you."

The two men leaned in at the same time, their lips meeting in a much needed kiss, even though it wasn't how they pictured their reunion kiss. Rick's eyes fell closed briefly and he reached up to grab on to Drew's neck, both fighting their emotions. After a moment, their lips parted and they pressed their foreheads together, "me, too," Rick murmured, the two soaking up as much of each other as they could in the short connection.

Reluctantly, the two men let go as Drew nervously looked around, swallowing his emotions while the surgical staff began to move Rick's gurney into the waiting elevator. Drew stepped closer, keeping his gaze on his boyfriend, who silently nodded at him. Weakly smiling in response, Drew felt a weight lift off his shoulders at being free around those he knew, but as the soldiers crowded around the elevator just before the doors closed, Drew's stomach twisted in knots, fear building quickly.

Feeling eyes on him didn't make Drew feel any better, and before he could really think, his stomach told him what to do - run to the nearest bathroom. Almost knocking down Paul in the process, he made it to the closest stall before he lost everything in his stomach.

As if throwing up in the bathroom and kneeling on the cold tile floor wasn't the worst thing, the door opened moments later and he immediately wished he could be alone. Hearing the door shut, Drew hoped whoever was there left him alone, because the last thing he wanted to do was talk or deal with what had just happened.

"You know, you don't have to do this alone," the woman's voice filtered through the room and Drew recognized it as Landry.

"Seems like that's going around a lot tonight," Drew muttered, reaching for some tissue to wipe his mouth.

"I'm serious," she commented, remaining in her place, blocking the door so no one else could come in, "everyone's here for you. You're not alone."

Drew gathered the strength to stand up and moved over to the sinks, getting the first glimpse of himself all night. His face was red, his eyes were dark and he looked and felt exhausted, "I never thought I'd do that."

"Do what?" She wondered, "because from what I could tell tonight was the first time you've been honest with yourself in a long time. What you did took a lot of courage and I'm sure Captain Lincoln really appreciated it," she admitted softly.

"I don't want to be 'the gay doctor'," he told her, turning the water on and waiting a moment to let it cool off.

"Who said you will be?"

Throwing some cold water on his face, Drew shook his head, "no one specifically, but I just want to be me. I don't want to be labeled anything. I just want to love Rick and not care who knows and have people be my friend because they want to be."

"Drew," Landry stepped closer to him, her heels clicking on the tiled floor, "you will be you, if that's what you want. Your sexuality does not make you who you are. It is a part of you, yes, but that doesn't define you and if you lose friends because you came out, then I don't think they were the right friends in the first place. I know we've only known each other a short time, but I don't have a problem with your sexuality and I'm pretty sure no one else here does, either."

"Thanks," Drew cracked a weak smile as he reached for a paper towel to dry his face, "look, Landry, I know what you're trying to do, and I'm sorry you had to see us bickering, but our lives were turned upside down. Today was supposed to be a happy day, but I almost lost the love of my life. I'm really not in the mood to talk right now."

Landry had seen the kiss from a distance, and she knew he wouldn't be interested in talking, but she wanted to try; she cared about her coworkers and she wanted them to know even though she's the psych attending doctor, didn't mean they couldn't talk to her, "I understand, but on the bright side, you didn't lose him. He's alive, so you can be with him. It's not going to be an easy recovery, but you guys can get through it together."

"I want to be positive and say we can, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried," Drew replied, taking a deep breath. He still had fears and worries, but he agreed with what she said, Rick was still alive, he didn't lose his boyfriend, so it made everything a little easier to deal with and those thoughts helped him calm down a little.

"I'm here if you ever want to talk. Same with Rick," she told him, moving back to the door, "okay?"

"Okay, thanks," Drew nodded, watching her leave the bathroom.

Taking a deep breath, he followed Landry towards the door and stepped out, freezing in his tracks at what he saw. Many of his coworkers and all the soldiers who'd been there that night stood near the door, waiting for him.

"ATTENTION!" TC snapped out, the large group stiffened up and looked towards Drew, "Hand, SALUTE!" The group snapped a salute to the reserve officer, before lowering it as TC called, "Parade, REST!" He called out, everyone relaxing as they faced Drew.

Lifting his hand, Drew responded with his own salute, confused at what was going on, but went along with it and added the last commands, "at ease. Rest."

"Oh behalf of everyone here, we'd like to offer our complete support to you and Captain Rick," Sergeant Logan said, stepping forward to Drew, holding out his hand to him. He was one of the few men who wasn't injured in the bus accident, but he'd been there all night with his fellow soldiers, "it's been a pleasure to serve with Captain Rick and we all would proudly serve with him again. We also have much respect for you and if it's okay, we'd like to stay with you while he's in surgery."

Drew saw TC and Krista nodding and with Kenny, Topher, Paul and all the soldiers supporting him, he stepped forward and shook the man's hand, "thank you, Sergeant Logan. That really means a lot to us," Drew smiled, the first time he really ever talked about him and Rick as an 'us' without backpedaling from the slip of his name, "and I'd be happy if you stayed, but the surgery could be a few hours and," Drew took a deep breath, letting some of his medical training kick in, "he'll be in a lot of pain and probably not up for company for a while. You're welcome to stay, but you all should go home. You just got back and you don't need stay here any longer than necessary. I'd be happy to contact you if you'd like me to keep you posted on Rick's progress and when it's a good time to see him," Drew explained, looking at all of them as he stepped back.

"I'm staying," Kenny commented, stepping forward and resting his hand on Drew's shoulder.

Krista walked towards him and slid her arm around his waist, "I'm not going anywhere."

~*~

Though Rick's unit wanted to stick around, they realized Drew was right and the sergeant gave him his number, so Drew could keep him posted on Rick's progress and he would pass on the information to the rest of the unit.

By now it was already the beginning of the day shift, so after the soldiers began to thin out, Drew was off work. As if he was on autopilot, he moved into the locker room to change and it was there he got a chance to see that TC, Krista and Landry had been right. Everyone shared their support for him and wished him and Rick well, saying if he needed anything, not to hesitate to call. Drew thanked them and was glad to have friends and coworkers so supportive. He knew it'd make working a lot easier, now that he didn't have to hide who he truly was anymore.

It wasn't long before he was sitting in a chair in the OR waiting area. Krista, TC, Topher, Kenny, Landry, Paul and Jordan were staying for moral support and even Michael Ragosa was wandering around to keep updated.

"I appreciate you all staying, but you don't have to," Drew commented softly as he looked around to see some of them were stretched out half asleep, while others were busy on their phones.

"I'm not going anywhere," Krista commented, resting her hand on his knee as she sat next to him.

Drew glanced at Krista and smiled, "thanks."

"Have you thought about taking some time off?" Landry asked, "I'm sure you'd like to spend time with Rick."

"Yes, I want to, but I don't want to make any decisions right now," Drew replied, "when I know more, I might take some time off."

~*~

The group chatted lightly for a short time, but Topher was the first one to leave, his wife needing him home and Paul followed, needing to get some sleep. As much as TC and Jordan wanted to stay, both were tired after a long night and since TC had come to work with Jordan, he caught a ride with her. Kenny, Landry and Michael caved shortly after, leaving Krista and Drew in the waiting area.

"I'm going to go get something to eat in the cafeteria. Would you like something?" Krista asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Drew replied, realizing he was hungry.

"I'll be back," Krista nodded, rubbing his shoulder.

Drew watched her walk away and took a deep breath. His stomach was in knots. He couldn't help worrying and feeling helpless. There was nothing he could do to help save Rick's leg and that hurt worse than anything. Rick's words earlier in the ER about having gone on four different deployments and got nothing more than a sunburn and a sliver really pulled at his emotions, too, but he tried to push away his thoughts and focus on Rick.

Krista wasn't gone long, having gotten some coffee and muffins to eat. She hadn't pushed Drew to talk much while they were waiting for word on Rick, but when she returned, she couldn't wait any longer, "how are you doing?" She knew it wasn't the best question to ask, but she hoped it would start a conversation.

Nodding his thanks at the food she'd gotten, he shrugged, "I don't know."

Resting her hand on his shoulder, she rubbed it gently, "I'm here for you."

"I know. Thanks," he smiled lightly, taking a sip of the not-so-good hospital coffee.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier," Krista said softly, "I should never have snapped at you like that."

"Don't apologize," Drew replied, looking at her, "you were right. What you said is was what I needed to hear. I feel like the World's Worst Boyfriend because of how I pulled away from him earlier, but I'll do just about anything to make it up to him."

"You're not the worst boyfriend, Drew, and I'm sure Rick understands. What you did probably meant more than a missed chance to be close in the ER," she admitted, "you came out in front of everyone for him. That took guts."

"That I immediately lost after he went upstairs," Drew shook his head, eating his muffin.

"It was a rough night, Drew. Trust me, I know," Krista admitted, "we all need to just put it past us."

"Yeah, I'd love to," Drew agreed, sipping his coffee and getting up to stretch a little, "I feel like this is a nightmare."

Before Krista had a chance to respond, someone walking through the doors nearby startled them and both turned to see Dr. Scott Clemmens coming from the OR.

"Drew," Scott greeted, glancing to see Krista nearby.

"How is he? Is he okay?" Drew asked quickly, moving towards the surgeon.

"His surgery went well," Scott smiled, giving them a moment to relax at the news, "I was able to save his knee, so his recovery should be a lot easier than an above-the-knee amputation," he explained, "I know it's a lot harder to learn how to use a prosthetic with a knee, so thankfully we don't have to deal with that."

Being thankful for small miracles, Drew nodded, "thanks," he replied, taking a deep breath.

"No problem. I spoke with him prior to surgery and he filled me in and I'm so sorry you guys have to go through this," Scott added, reaching out to pat Drew on the shoulder, "now he's going to be in a lot of pain, so once he wakes up, he'll be on a morphine drip. You know the drugs are probably going to keep him out of it for a while until some of the pain subsides and he can come off the drip, so you should go home. Get some sleep and come back later."

"No. I'm not leaving," Drew replied, trying not to sound too harsh, but there was no way he was leaving, "I want to see him."

Scott expected the answer, so the surgeon nodded, "okay, I'll show you where he is."

Krista had let the guys talk and was glad to hear the surgery went well. She also didn't want to intrude on any private moments, so she stood up when he came to get his bag near her, "would you like me to go with you or leave?" She asked, "I can do either. It's up to you."

Shouldering his bag, Drew looked at her, "I'm open for either," he admitted, his mind only focused on Rick at the moment.

"I'll go with," Krista smiled.

~*~

Scott led Drew and Krista into the surgical recovery area, where Rick would stay until he came out of anesthesia and the staff made sure that he was stable enough to be moved into a regular room.

"He's only been out of surgery a short time, so it will be a little while before he comes out of it," Scott told him, pausing next to Rick's recovery room, "and I'll be here until he's moved to a regular room, so if you need anything, just call me or have me paged, okay?"

Drew nodded at Scott, "okay. Thanks," he replied, stepping into the doorway and pausing a moment to focus on his boyfriend.

Rick was back on oxygen, so he had a nasal cannula in his nose, his eyes were closed, he was covered with a sheet, and his arms were resting on the the covers, one having an IV line trailing out of it to a stand nearby. An oxygen sensor was attached to one of his fingers and cords came out from under his hospital gown, where a heart monitor was attached to his skin and a screen behind him. A morphine drip button was in one of his hands and around his upper arm, a blood pressure cuff was wrapped and attached to the same monitor, every few minutes rechecking his pressure.

As Drew's eyes moved down his boyfriend's bed, just past his knee, the absence of his leg was easy to see, the end portion of his leg wrapped heavily with pressure dressings and propped up so it wasn't pressing against the bed.

Scott and Krista remained in the hallway, giving Drew a moment of privacy with his boyfriend.

Moving forward, Drew ran a nervous hand over his face as he walked to the edge of Rick's bed. Dropping his bag on the floor out of the way, Drew took Rick's hand in his and leaned over, pressing a kiss to Rick's forehead and begging himself to remain calm, "I'm here, Rick," he whispered, brushing his free hand over his boyfriend's cheek.

Krista quietly moved into the room and slid a chair up to Drew, "sit," she whispered.

Glancing back, Drew took a seat and kept his hand in Rick's. He knew soon Rick would be waking up and they couldn't start the pain meds until after he'd woken up, so Drew dreaded that moment, hating to know he's be in pain, but would be right there for him.

Scott had moved off to write up notes on his chart and a nurse soon joined them, checking Rick's vitals and setting everything up for the pain meds to start soon.

Time ticked by, only the monitors and the blood pressure cuff inflating breaking the silence in the room. Drew wasn't sure how long he was in there, but soon Rick's breathing quickened and he recognized the signs of him coming out of the anesthesia haze.

Drew stood up, his hand still holding on to Rick's and rested his other hand on Rick's forehead, hoping to give him as much comfort as possible as he woke up.

Slowly Rick began to stir and his eyes fluttered open briefly, enough to see Drew, before drifting closed again. His hand clamped down on Drew's tighter as pain radiated from his leg, "oh God," he gasped, his eyes snapping open and darting around the room to figure out exactly where he was, "hurts," he choked out.

"I know," Drew replied softly, gently brushing his hand across Rick's forehead, "if you press the button in your other hand, it'll control your pain meds," he explained, glancing at the nurse who nodded at him.

Rick blinked his eyes and flinched as the pain washed over him again, "shit!" He hissed, his thumb pressing the button quickly, before turning to Drew, "don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Drew promised, pressing his forehead against Rick's, "I'm right here."

With a nod, Rick's eyes drifted closed and his hand loosened a little on Drew's, the meds kicking in.

Drew sat back down and rubbed his free hand over his face, not sure how much longer he could hold himself together. He was physically and emotionally drained and knew he'd need sleep soon, but he refused to leave Rick; not until he was more awake and out of the intense pain.

Krista had taken a seat in another chair in the corner of the room. She felt horrible that there was nothing she could really do to make Drew or Rick feel better. She'd only known Drew a short time, but they'd already become friends. Sure, it started out a little awkward when she didn't know about Drew's personal life, but since then, they'd gotten to be good friends.

Scott returned and walked into the room, looking at Drew, "I don't know if you know, but bone pain can be excruciating, especially from an amputation. When I do them, after I'm done, I numb the residual limb, so hopefully the pain won't be as severe as it could be. The bone pain will subside as the body adjusts and hopefully the numbness will wear off at the same time, so the pain he'll be feeling is an ache over anything else. That's my hope. Everyone is different, so we won't know for a few hours," he explained.

Silently Drew nodded, contemplating questions that had been swirling around in his mind, "can I... do you know what happens next?"

"That all depends on him," Scott motioned to Rick, "I'm keeping him in the hospital for a few days. I'll have him in IV antibiotics and the morphine drip for as long as he needs. The antibiotics are to make sure the limb doesn't get infected, so it's just a precaution. From there, we'll see. Therapy will be in to evaluate him, to see what he can and can't do. Some amputees go into a rehab center for a short time to build some upper body strength, to help with transferring, before returning home, but some can go right home," Scott paused and glanced at Rick's vitals, "right now, he's doing great. His vitals are normal, there's no sign of bleeding from the limb, so I'm confident he'll make a full recovery and have almost the same abilities he had before this happened and I can tell he'll have a good support system around him," he glanced at Drew and then Krista.

"Definitely," Drew nodded, looking at Rick.

"Everything will come together, and forgive me for this cliché, but just take things one step at at time," Scott added, turning to the nurse next to him, "right now, I hate to do this, but I'm going to take him off the drip for a moment, because I need to do a neurological exam. If he passes, I'll put him back on it and he can be moved upstairs to a regular room."

Drew took a deep breath, "okay."

The nurse took the hint and turned off the IV and flushed the line to clear any meds out.

Krista got up and moved to stand next to Drew, unsure just what would happen when Rick woke up this time.

As the morphine slowly began to wear off, Rick became a little restless and he clamped down on Drew's hand more than he had been. His eyes clenched closed for a moment as he began to feel some of the pain from his leg. Taking a gasping breath, Rick opened his eyes and looked around, "Drew..." He trailed off as he shifted, "damn it that hurts!"

"I'm sorry, Rick," Scott leaned over, "I had to take you off the morphine briefly to ask you a few questions."

Taking a deep breath, Rick turned his head to Scott, "what are they?"

"Where are you?" Scott asked.

"San Antonio Memorial Hospital," Rick replied through clenched teeth.

"What year is it?" Scott continued.

"Twenty-fourteen," Rick answered, blinking his eyes.

"Who's next to you?" Scott motioned to Drew.

"My boyfriend Doctor and Lieutenant Andrew Alister," Rick looked at Drew and tried to smile, but he was in too much pain.

"What's your name?" Scott looked at him.

"Lincoln, Richard S. Captain US Army. 555-12-3456," Rick replied.

Scott raised a curious eyebrow at him, surprised at the answer.

"Name, rank and social security number," Drew explained, "military training."

"I see. I admit, I've never had anyone answer that question that way before," Scott smiled, nodding at the nurse to start the morphine again, "neurologically you're doing okay, so I'm going to send you up to a regular room. You can also come off the oxygen and all the monitors, so you should be more comfortable with only the one IV. Order something to eat when you feel like it, I'm not putting any restrictions on your diet," he admitted, signing some papers on his clipboard. "I'll be leaving the hospital for a few hours, but I'll check back in with you guys this evening before my shift. Drew has my number, so if either of you need anything or have questions, feel free to text or call," Scott told them.

"Thanks," Rick murmured, the morphine slowly kicking in, but not as quickly as it had previously.

Scott nodded and moved out of the room, the nurse beginning the task of removing the various monitors from Rick that were unnecessary now. Once she was finished, she stepped out to make some calls to find out where he'd be going for his stay in the hospital and Krista retook her seat.

Rick hadn't fallen asleep yet, and he hadn't pressed the button for the drip yet. He was in pain, but he was trying to fight to see how long he could hold out before he actually used the medicine, so he turned to look at his leg, shaking his head and sighing, his eyes on Drew, "God, I can't believe this happened."

Drew still had one hand in his, so he rested his other hand on Rick's shoulder and looked at him, "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he bit his lip, "but I'm here. You're not in this alone."

For a moment, Rick was silent, gathering his thoughts in the fog of the drugs he was on and nodded, "I know and thank you," he reached up carefully to Drew, "did you really kiss me in front of your coworkers?"

"I did," Drew nodded, leaning in so Rick could reach him.

"But all night you'd pulled away from me. What changed?" Rick asked.

"Let's just say someone made me see some things I hadn't thought of before," he admitted, glancing at Krista, before looking back at Rick, "I'm sorry I was an asshole earlier."

Rick shook his head, "don't be. I had my moments, too."

"You had every right to be upset and pissed," Drew told him, his thumb brushing over Rick's forehead, "we both had a horrible night."

"And this is not how I figured today would go at all," Rick sighed, "I had it all planned out."

"Oh yeah? Were you ever going to tell me those plans?" Drew smirked.

Rick's eyes drifted closed for a moment, "yeah, when you got to my place after your shift," he admitted, then opened his eyes and glanced at Krista, "you don't have to sit all the way over there, you know."

Krista stood up and moved to stand at the end of his bed, "I was just giving you guys some time. I wish there was something I could do to make this easier," she motioned between them.

"I appreciate the support," Drew commented.

"So do I and I appreciate what you did for Wilson. He was a good kid," Rick admitted, flinching a little as a twinge of pain shot through his body, "God, I hate this!" He hissed, "and where's my bag?"

"What bag?" Drew asked.

"My backpack. I don't care about my duffel. It just is my uniforms, but there's documents and important things in my backpack that I need," Rick explained.

"It didn't come with you on the ambulance," Drew told him, "so it's probably with the bus or still out on the highway."

"I could make some calls and see if I could find it," Krista offered.

"You don't have to, but I'm gonna need to find it somehow," Rick commented.

Krista moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed from Drew, "I'll find it," she promised, "I need to get some sleep before my shift tonight, too, so if you guys are okay, I'm gonna go."

"I think we'll be okay," Drew replied, getting a tired nod from Rick in agreement.

"What does your bag look like? Just like Drew's but with your name on it?" She asked, motioning to Drew's.

"Yeah, with 'Lincoln' on the name patch," Rick explained, "thank you... Krista, right?"

Krista nodded and smiled, "yeah and you're welcome. Besides, I kinda," she blushed, "well, I owe you guys for um, well, Drew can tell you how I found out about you two," she admitted, "I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have done that if I had known."

"What?" Rick asked, shaking his head in confusion and looking between her and Drew.

"I'll tell you later," Drew replied and turned to Krista, "I'll text you what room he's in when I know."

With a nod, Krista grabbed her bag, "take it easy guys, Drew try to get some sleep. Are you working tonight?"

"I don't know," Drew looked at Rick, "am I?"

Rick took a deep breath and tried to think straight, "you'll be in the ER, right?" He asked and when Drew nodded, he shrugged, "if you want to. I'll probably sleep a lot and I know where you'll be if I need you. Did my phone at least make it here?"

Drew nodded, "yeah, your phone is in my bag," he motioned to his backpack with his hand that wasn't still holding Rick's, "I inventoried the stuff that came with you when I put them in the bag," he motioned to a plastic belongings bag on a counter nearby, "and when I found your phone I put it in my pocket. I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle."

"Thanks," Rick smiled.

"So, I'm gonna go. Rick, nice meeting you, I just wish it was under better circumstances," Krista nodded at him.

"Same to you," Rick waved as she moved out of the room, and once she was gone, he turned to look at Drew, "she seems nice."

"Yeah, she's cool," Drew agreed, "and a good friend."

Rick flinched again, this time his eyes watering as if he was going to cry because he was in such pain. Finally giving in, he pressed the morphine button, "this will get easier, right?"

Drew leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriend's lips, "that's my hope. I wish I knew for sure, but we'll deal with whatever it is together, okay?"

Rick nodded and smiled, squeezing his hand gently, "okay."

~*~

The surgery had taken place towards the end of the night shift and by the time Rick was moved up to a regular hospital room, it was after noon and Drew was getting tired. He had to work that night at seven, so once Rick got settled in bed, still groggy and in and out of it from the pain meds, Drew settled into the small recliner in the room to get some sleep after setting an alarm for five, hoping for at least a few hours of sleep.

Rick loved that his boyfriend was there. It meant the world to him that he'd been by his side since waking up from surgery and after their kiss, he knew he would be, but he couldn't really enjoy being close to him, because he had to keep taking the pain medication and it kept him in a fog. He wished he didn't need the strong medication, but his leg hurt and when it did, the pain shot through his whole body at times, which is why the morphine was necessary. He just hoped the pain would subside soon, because he hated feeling like he was in a drug haze.

Nurses and aides were in and out, checking on him and a few recognized Drew from the ER or could tell he was asleep and tried to keep quiet so they didn't wake him up.

Rick woke up from one of his drug induced naps while Drew was still sleeping. He had a private room, which he was thankful for and reaching for his phone, he began scrolling through his messages. Drew had been the first person he'd talked to since arriving home, but he had a family back in Washington state who he'd promised to call. He'd grown up in Seattle, where most of his family still lived, so that's why he knew the stuff the Army tried to pass off as coffee and apples were no where near close.

Glancing over to his boyfriend, and seeing he was sound asleep, Rick dialed the familiar Washington number and waited for someone to pick up. After two rings, a female voice picked up and Rick smiled lightly, "hey mom."

"Rick! I'm so glad to hear your voice!" The older woman exclaimed, immediately recognizing her youngest son's voice.

"Me, too," he agreed.

"How are you? Are you home in San Antonio now or are you still on your way?" She asked, knowing he was coming home, but didn't know how long it would exactly take.

"You could say that," he agreed, his eyes looking towards where his right foot and lower leg used to be, now the absence hurting more than the pain he felt throughout his body, "I haven't made it home yet and I don't know when I'll be able to get there."

"What do you mean? Sweetheart, you don't sound good. What's wrong?" She asked quickly, able to tell by the tone of his voice that something was going on.

"The bus the guys and I were in on our way home was in an accident," he started, taking a deep breath, "I don't remember the actual crash. One minute I'm talking to Drew on the phone and the next thing I know I'm waking up in his ER with a bunch of my men, Drew and a doctor, looking over me and talking about my leg."

"Oh my God!" The woman gasped, "your leg? What happened to your leg? Are you okay? Drew never called me!"

"I lost it mom, it's gone," he commented softly, fighting his emotions as he admitted the truth, "they tried to save it, but it was too damaged in the crash. I had to have emergency surgery this morning." A sob echoed over the phone and Rick immediately hated to share the news over the phone, but he knew he wouldn't be making it to Washington anytime soon and didn't want her or any of his family to find out from anyone but him, "mom, I'm sorry. This is the last thing I wanted to do, but I didn't want you to hear from anyone else."

"My baby boy," she cried, "why didn't Drew call me? He should have!"

"Mom, don't get mad at Drew. He was working in the ER all night. They were trying to save my leg," Rick replied, glancing at his boyfriend who was still asleep, "I'm sure the last thing on his mind was who he needed to call. That's why I'm calling."

"What hospital are you at? I'm booking the next flight to San Antonio!" She retorted.

"Don't rush down here, mom," Rick sighed, having not thought much about what his mom might do after hearing the news.

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here while my youngest son is laying in a hospital bed without a leg!" She snapped.

Being the youngest boy of the family, but having a sister a few years younger, had it's moments. He was one of four kids, he also had two older siblings, a brother and a sister, so his mom always babied him and his younger sister. He hated it, especially being an officer in the US Army, but he knew there was no talking his mom out of anything, "just promise me you're not going to be mad at Drew."

The woman was silent a long moment, "fine," she sighed, "but he better have a good explanation."

"Mom, he came out in front of my men and his coworkers. Leave him alone," Rick replied firmly.

Rick had never been as private with his sexuality as Drew had been. Rick's family all knew he was gay, even before he and Drew had gotten together. The Lincolns all supported Rick's choice and easily welcomed Drew to the family, but understood their reasons for keeping their relationship a secret from everyone else. There were too many gray areas when it came to their careers to take a chance on the information getting to the wrong person. Now it wasn't as problematic, but Drew still held issues with coming out... Something he'd pushed aside earlier to show his boyfriend how much he cared and that meant more to Rick than he could truly admit.

"Oh my word! He did?" The woman gasped.

A twinge of pain shot through his body again and he hissed, "yeah," he choked out.

"What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

"Just in pain. I don't wanna keep taking the morphine. It knocks me out," he admitted.

"Richard Scott Lincoln! You take those pain killers if you need them! Don't go playing the tough soldier act!" The woman snapped.

Rolling his eyes at the harsh tone she was using, he clarified, "I don't want to take the morphine. Every time I take it, it knocks me out."

"So ask for something else," she suggested, her tone calming down just slightly.

"I know, mom. My surgeon is gonna be around before his shift tonight, so I'm going to ask," he promised, looking at the clock.

"What hospital are you in?" She asked.

"San Antonio Memorial Hospital," he replied, "room 418."

~*~

Rick ended his conversation with his mom after a few moments. He needed to take the pain medicine and he didn't want to fall asleep while he was on the phone with her. He saw it was around four and hoped he'd wake up when Drew's alarm went off, so he could warn his boyfriend about his mom. As he drifted off from the meds, questions and things began to swirl in the fog from the drugs, but he couldn't focus on any one of them.

~*~

Waking up to his alarm, Drew shifted and for a moment looked around to figure out where he was as he turned off the beeping. Immediately recognizing the hospital room, the memories from the last day came back to him. Surprised he'd slept for four hours, he was glad for the time to recharge his batteries and sat the chair up, looking over at Rick, who was awake and looking back at him.

"Hey," Rick smiled lightly, just waking up again himself.

Drew stood up, stretching a little, before walking over to him, "hey back," he replied, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. They hadn't been much for PDAs, but at the moment, he didn't care, "how are you doing? You need anything?"

Rick shrugged, his eyes heavy, "I don't know. Do I have to stay in this gown?" He wondered, tugging at the stiff material.

"No," Drew shook his head, "I've got a clean Army t-shirt in my locker downstairs, if you want me to get it."

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Rick nodded, "so, um," he took a deep breath, "I called my mom."

The moment Rick said that, Drew's stomach sunk. He knew he'd forgotten to do something. He'd messaged Sergeant Logan earlier to let him know Rick had gotten through surgery, but he hadn't thought to call Rick's family, "how'd she take it?"

"She freaked out. Was pissed at you for not calling, but I talked her out of that and said she was booking the next flight in. I don't know if she was serious, but I think she was," Rick admitted.

Drew took a deep breath, "she's coming here?"

"Maybe," Rick replied, "sorry. I didn't even think that she might want to come here."

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you called. I feel bad I didn't, but I had other things on my mind," Drew admitted.

"Oh yeah, like what? That new girlfriend of yours?" Rick winked, trying to tease his boyfriend.

"She's not my girlfriend," Drew retorted quickly, "she's just a friend. You know I've only got eyes for you."

"I never doubted that," Rick assured him, "though now I'm even more curious how she found out you were gay."

~*~

Drew quickly explained how their relationship had started and about the kiss while she was trying to fix his hand after his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight. Rick was glad Drew had told her the truth, because that would have been awkward later on, if he hadn't. Drew continued to explain the awkward kiss they'd shared during the storm, to throw off the radiologist and Molly, who was trying to set Drew up with her niece.

"I can just see that happening," Rick laughed, "thanks! I needed to laugh!"

"I wasn't funny! Molly later threatened me!" Drew replied, trying to be serious, but he couldn't help cracking his own smile, glad to hear Rick's laugh again, even if he didn't think the story was too funny.

"I totally want to hear what she has to say now!" Rick smirked.

"Oh God," Drew groaned, taking a seat on the edge of Rick's bed, "now I don't want to go down there."

"Well, you have to. I wanna get out of this gown," Rick replied simply, tugging at the neckline a little.

Taking a deep breath, Drew nodded, "alright. I'll go shower and change into my scrubs, then come back before my shift, okay?"

Rick nodded, "yeah, okay," he sat up a little and reached out to rest his hand on Drew's neck, rubbing it gently.

Drew smiled and welcomed the warm touch of the familiar hand on his body, "I've missed you," he admitted, shifting to hug him tightly.

"You're not the only one," Rick agreed, soaking in the moment as he returned his hug, having missed being so close to Drew, "we're gonna be okay, right?"

"Of course we are," Drew promised, pulling back to look into the blue eyes of his boyfriend, "I'm not letting you go through this alone. You're everything to me and that will never change. I love you."

"I love you, too," Rick smiled, resting his hand on Drew's cheek, "I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

~*~

A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed! This is my first time writing a same-sex couple (as main characters), so please be gentle! I'd love to hear what you think, too, so please review and let me know! I really love these characters and am really excited to write this (I already have another 60 pages written!), so I hope to see you back for more! Thanks for reading!  
A/N5: You can catch me a lot on Twitter and sometimes on Tumblr. I'm EJ8302 on both of them... I've been known to get my tweets favorited by actors of The Night Shift and even responses, which is so cool!  
A/N6: As I stated earlier, I'm caregiver to both my parents, which leaves me limited free time. I know I have many Puckleberry WIPs... I'm not neglecting any of them, but this fic has taken hold of my brain and I'm going with it. It's the first real time I've had major inspiration for solo writing in over a year. I hope I'm able to get back to my other WIPs (most have not been updated for some time), so please know I haven't left the Puckleberry fandom! I'm also a co-writer on a Blue Bloods (TV show) fan fic with my BH sis Annic, which we started a few months ago. That's when my writing began again, so I'm thankful to my BH sis for helping me get back to doing any kind of writing and I'm hoping I can soon continue all of my WIPs... I promise I'm still here and thank you to all of you for your support, love and sticking with me! It truly means the world to me!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a reason Rick was upset he couldn't go hiking with Drew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> **Warning3:** This chapter contains an explanation of what Rick's amputation looks like. If that bothers you, I've put ( **...start explanation...** ) before it and added ( **...stop explanation...** ) after, so you can skip over the section, if you'd like. I'm very familiar with what it looks like post-surgery, having been around my dad's and done wound care for him. Just wanted to warn you all, in case that was something you weren't up for reading.

After a few more moments together, Drew reluctantly pulled from his boyfriend to return to the doctor's locker room in the ER. Thankful for the showers, Drew took a quick one and changed into the familiar blue scrubs and tried to get ready for his shift that night. His mind was still in a fog, but with Rick more like himself, he felt better about everything going on.

Once he was dressed, he clipped his badge to his scrubs and threw his stethoscope around his neck, before grabbing his extra t-shirt and leaving the locker room. No one from the night shift was there yet, and he wasn't stopped by anyone, so he was able to slip in and out quickly. He briefly went to get some coffee and soon was back on his boyfriend's floor, finding Scott just arriving, too.

"Hey, Drew. Did you go home?" Scott wondered, noticing he wasn't in the same clothes he'd had on earlier.

"No, I slept in the recliner in Rick's room. Just went and changed," he admitted.

"I see. How are you guys doing?" Scott asked.

"Okay. I think. This wasn't how we pictured his return, but he's home and he knows I'm gonna be there for him, so we'll be alright," Drew explained.

"That's understandable. I'm gonna go check in with his nurse and I'll be in shortly," Scott replied.

Drew nodded and moved on, heading to Rick's room. As he arrived, he stepped in without knocking, knowing Rick wouldn't care and saw him playing a game on his phone, "I'm back."

  
Rick looked up and put his phone down, "what's up, doc?" He smirked, laughing lightly.

"Oh, yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," Drew laughed, tossing the shirt towards him.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Rick replied, taking the shirt and immediately pulling the gown off.

Drew continued to smile as he took in his boyfriend, seeing a view he hadn't been able to see in so long, but before he could truly react or say anything, Scott walked in.

~*~

Scott talked with Rick about how he was doing and left him with the morphine drip, but reduced the dose he could get and also ordered pill form drugs to take for the pain. Scott was glad to see he was in better spirits and told him by the next day the physical therapist would be in to evaluate his situation and maybe get him up a little.

After talking with them for a short time, Scott soon headed downstairs, giving Rick and Drew a chance to be alone a little longer before Drew had to get to work.

"When did this get here?" Drew asked, noticing Rick's backpack sitting on the chair he'd slept in.

"Not even ten minutes after you went to change Krista showed up with it. She said she found it at the wrecking yard," he explained, "can you hand it to me?"

Drew picked the bag up and carried it to him, setting it on the bed, "so what's in it that was so important?"

Rick unzipped one of the sides and briefly pulled out his passport, "this, for one," he admitted, "but not the main reason."

With a nod, Drew took a seat on the edge of Rick's bed to face him, "are you ever going to tell me what you had planned for today?"

Rick continued to dig through his bag for a moment, sighing in relief when he found what he was looking for, and turning to look at his boyfriend, "well, I figured you'd come over when you got off work. We'd have breakfast and crash for a few hours, before going on the hike we'd planned. We'd take lunch with us and on a break somewhere peaceful and quiet, I'd tell you that this was my last deployment for a while."

"Really?" Drew grinned.

"Yeah," Rick nodded, returning his bright smile, "then I was gonna suggest we take some leave and go somewhere for a small vacation."

"Sounds great!" Drew agreed, resting one of his hands on Rick's thigh, "I'd have to find out how much time I can get off, but I'd love to go somewhere with you."

"That might be a while," Rick motioned to his absent foot, "but I still want to get away with you," he paused and looked at Drew, reaching up to rest his free hand on his cheek, "and I had this whole speech almost memorized, but I've forgotten most of it now."

Drew reached up and joined his hand with Rick's, "it's okay," he told him, not quite realizing what he was getting at.

Rick smiled and took a deep breath, "you're the love of my life, Drew. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

"I feel the same way about you, Rick," Drew replied, returning his smile.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Rick pulled something out of his bag and looked at the small item for a moment, before closing a hand around it and moving his bag away, so he could get closer to Drew, "the reason I was so pissed about us not being able to go hiking, was because I planned something special for the first day we could spend together after I got home," he explained, taking a deep breath, "and I know this is not near what I planned, but I'm not going to let this," he motioned to his leg, "ruin what I've wanted to do for a long time," Rick glanced at his hand and slowly opened it, holding his palm up to show Drew.

Immediately, Drew recognized the velvet box for a ring and he couldn't help a gasp escape his lips, "what are you... What's... Rick?"

Rick expected him to be shocked, so he placed the box in Drew's hand and covered it with his own, "I will always love you. I know this is a big decision and you don't have to answer right away. What's in this box is yours, no matter your answer, okay?" Rick asked and at Drew's silent nod, he continued, "you brighten my life and I don't want to spend another moment without you. Drew, will you marry me?" Rick asked, slightly nervous at what his reaction would be, but he'd waited months to propose and wasn't going to let being in the hospital stop him from asking Drew.

Drew blinked in shock as his brain processed the question he'd just been asked. Shifting a little, he took his hands back from Rick and opened the small box to see the ring inside. It had a continuous infinity symbol engraved around the whole band, the engraving itself black, so it stood out from the white gold band, "oh, Rick," Drew swallowed, feeling tears build in his eyes as he looked up at Rick, "I..."

"Like I said, you don't have to answer right now, but that's yours, from me, no matter what it is. I love you no matter what," Rick told him honestly, "and you're gonna be late if you don't go now," he added, knowing what time his shift started. He hated that he dropped that question on him when he had to leave for work, but he'd wanted to ask the first day they could be together when he was home from deployment and it still was that day, even if they were celebrating it while he was in the hospital.

It wasn't that Drew wanted to say 'no', he just had never contemplated a proposal for them. He felt almost like an idiot for even assuming they'd just date for the rest of their lives. He knew numerous states around the country had been legalizing same-sex marriages in the past few years, so a legal marriage was possible for them. Plus with the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy gone in the military, they couldn't discharge them for it, but still, it just wasn't something he'd expected. "I love you, too," Drew smiled, wiping his eyes quickly and closing the box, before moving to press a kiss to Rick's lips, "I will be back soon," he promised, not wanting him to go too long without an answer.

"You better be," Rick winked, leaning back, his leg hurting, but not near what it had been earlier. He could tell Drew was emotional from the question, but didn't want to push him, so he was okay to let their conversation settle.

Drew stood up and smiled at Rick, sliding the box into one of the side pockets on the leg of his pants and then walked towards the door, silently letting Rick's question linger for a while, so he could think.

As Drew walked away, Rick smiled at the view he was getting, "I hate to see you leave, but I love watching you walk away."

"I think Scott gave you too many meds. They're making you loopy," Drew laughed, waving at him, "see you in a few hours."

"Be careful!"

Drew nodded, "always am."

~*~

Drew took the elevator from the fourth floor, where Rick's room was, down to the ER. As he went downstairs, he took the box out of his pocket and looked at the ring, amazed at it. The logo inside the box told him it was a Titanium band and he could definitely see himself wearing it for a long time; Rick knew him well.

As the elevator came to a stop in the ER, Drew closed the box and returned it to his pocket as the doors opened. Stepping off, he wandered down to the nurses' station, where they always met for their before-shift meeting.

"There you are," Krista said, walking out of the locker room, "I didn't see you upstairs when I brought Rick's bag up."

"Yeah, we must have past in the elevators," Drew replied, "thanks for finding it. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"No, it wasn't. I was surprised myself. I called the police department and explained I was a friend of one of the soldiers in the accident and wanted to pick up his belongings. They said where it'd been towed to and I could pick up his stuff there, so I found the place and got it," she explained, slipping her arm around his.

"Still, thank you," Drew smiled, coming to a stop by the desk, where Paul, Kenny, TC and Topher were already standing, "hey guys."

"Drew! Hey, man, how's Rick?" TC asked.

"He's doing okay right now. Thanks for everything last night," Drew replied.

"I wish I could have done more," TC admitted.

"You did all that you could," Drew assured him, "we appreciate what you tried. I'm just glad he's alive. I know he's upset, but I'm pretty sure he'll have great success with a prosthetic."

"He will. He's young and strong. He can do it," TC agreed.

"Drew," Kenny walked over and put his hand on his shoulder, "man, I had no idea. I feel like an ass for all the times trying to get information out of you about your girlfriend."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I should never had led you on with all the talk about a girlfriend anyway. It's my bad," Drew admitted.

Molly, the nurse who'd been trying to set Drew up with her niece, walked towards him and eyed him for a long moment. "I really should be pissed at you," she commented, "but I'm glad you finally came to your senses and admitted who you really were. You could have told me and I would have stopped trying to set my niece up with you. You didn't need Krista to hide behind," she smirked.

"Hey, that was all her idea," Drew raised his hands, glancing at Krista, "I had nothing to do with that kiss."

"True. It was me being spontaneous and he was so not into it," Krista agreed.

Drew looked at Molly, "I'm sorry, but I wasn't ready to say anything at the time."

  
The nurse eyed him and nodded, "I understand."

~*~

With a brief meeting, the group moved on to their patients, some seeing new ones, while others picked up with patients day shift had to transfer over. Drew had his mind half on his patients and half on the ring in his pocket, so he wasn't paying too much attention to what was going on around him, but when he was standing around, doing paperwork or waiting for test results, he casually listened to what people were saying. He was glad no one was talking about him; he didn't want to be the center of attention, and he had hoped it would work that way, but he'd always feared that if he came out, everyone would be talking about it or not support him and he was happy to hear that wasn't the case.

After the previous night, it was pretty slow in the ER. Drew had seen a few patients, like all of his coworkers, and after he finished with the chart for his third discharge that night, he went out to get a coffee at one of the food trucks.

"Hey, Drew, how are you?" Krista asked, as she and Paul walked up beside him.

"I'm good. What's up?" He asked coming to stand in the line.

"It's been a sl..." Paul started.

Drew reached out and put his hand over Paul's mouth, "don't say it! You'll jinx it!"

"Say what? That it's been a slow night?" Paul asked, confused at what he meant.

Drew, and several of the nurses and doctors nearby, groaned, "good job, Paul. I'm blaming you for any drama tonight," Drew muttered, having been looking forward to an easy shift. Paul quickly apologized and Drew passed off a chance to give him a hard time, because Drew had more important things on his mind.

Getting to the front of the line, Drew ordered his coffee, and Krista and Paul followed, before they returned to the ER for their next round of patients.

Krista and Drew were standing at the nurse's station and her knee bumped his, "sorry," she murmured, glancing down, "what's that?" She asked, noticing the square bump on the side of his leg.

"Oh, um," Drew glanced down, "it's nothing," he replied, turning so she couldn't get to it.

"That doesn't look like nothing. If I didn't know any better I'd think that was a ring box," she admitted softly so only he could hear it, recognizing the small size. As she saw Drew raise his eyebrows curiously, she gasped, "is that what... Drew? Seriously?"

Knowing she wouldn't let it go, Drew took a deep breath, put his hand on her shoulder and guided her away from the desk and into one of the empty and dimly lit exam rooms.

"Is that a ring box?" She asked once he shut the door, "it is, isn't it?"

"Yes," Drew nodded, smiling as he reached for the box and opened it to show her the ring.

"Oh wow, Drew!" She grinned, taking the box to look at the ring, "you're going to propose?"

Drew shook his head and took the box back, returning it to his pocket, "that's what was in Rick's bag he was so concerned about."

"Oh my God!" Krista gasped, "he proposed? What did you say?"

"Nothing, I mean," he sighed, rubbing his neck nervously, "I hardly could process what he was asking. He told me I didn't have to answer right away, because he knew it was a big decision and either way this is mine from him."

Krista's eye widened in shock, "Drew, you can't leave him hanging."

"I know. I'm not going to wait long to answer. It's been on my mind all night. He's the love of my life and I can't stand to be without him," Drew admitted, "I just never imagined we'd be out to where we could get engaged or married."

"I get that," she agreed, "it's only been in the last few years that same-sex marriages have become more legal and recognized in the military. If you've been thinking about it, have you made up your mind?"

Getting the box out again, Drew looked at the ring and took it out for the first time. Studying it for a moment, he slid it onto his left hand and smiled when it fit perfectly on his ring finger. Thoughts that had been swirling around in his mind all night calmed the moment he put the ring on, "can you cover for me for like fifteen minutes?" He asked, not wanting to wait any longer.

"Of course," she grinned, "go!"

Drew smiled and pocketed the empty box, putting his hands in his scrub top's pockets before he slipped out of the room, trying to get to the elevator without being sidetracked.

Thankfully, no one was by the elevators, so he was able to step on and head upstairs without being seen and as he reached Rick's room, he noticed a nurse was standing by his room with his chart, "hey," he greeted softly.

The young woman glanced up and her eyes immediately saw the doctor badge he wore, "Dr. Alister, can I help you?"

"Nope," Drew shook his head, "just popping in to see Rick on my break," he admitted, "I promise we'll be quiet."

"Oh, alright," she smiled, "I'll be in to give him his antibiotics in a few moments."

Drew nodded and slipped into his room and peeked around the pulled curtain to see Rick was leaning back, his good leg up, with his foot on the bed, his amputation propped up on a pillow. His eyes were closed, so Drew hated to wake him, but he knew he'd be woken up in a few moments, so he took Rick's hand and leaned over to press and kiss to his forehead, "wake up, Rick."

Stirring at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, Rick opened his eyes and smiled at Drew, "hey, what time is it?"

"A little after eleven-pm," Drew admitted, "I'm on a break."

"Oh, cool. I didn't expect to see you until after your shift," Rick smiled, adjusting his eyes to the dim light of the room, "everything okay?"

"Yeah," Drew took the empty box from his pocket with his right hand, while his left held onto Rick's, "thought I'd bring this back."

"Back?" Rick narrowed his eyes in confusion, looking at the unopened box, "it's for you."

"I know, that's why I'm wearing it," Drew replied with a smile, lifting his hand to show him, "and there's only one answer I can give you. Yes, with all my heart, yes."

Rick smiled brightly and sat up a little, letting go of Drew's hand to wrap his arms around him for a tight hug, "I love you," he murmured.

Drew easily returned his hug and smiled happily, feeling like everything would be alright, even with the ups and downs coming at them, "I love you, too, Rick, more than anything."

~*~

Drew was on a high when he returned to the ER just ten minutes later. He hated to leave Rick so suddenly after saying 'yes', but he was on the job and couldn't be gone too long or people would come looking for him. Rick understood and was fine with him going back to work and Drew promised he'd be back as soon as he could.

Krista had been on the lookout for his return and the moment she saw him reach the nurse's station, she casually walked over, noticing his hands in his pockets, "Drew..."

"What's up?" He asked curiously.

"What's up? What do you think?" She eyed him, glancing towards his hidden hands.

"Chill out," he smirked, lifting his hand to show her the ring, before putting his left hand back into his pocket, "we can talk later," he promised, not wanting to draw attention to it at the moment. He wanted a few minutes to have it to himself, because he knew news traveled fast in the ER.

Krista nodded and smiled, "congrats," she whispered.

"Thanks," he smiled, reaching to put on a pair of gloves.

~*~

**Thursday**

A new day began and Paul thought he was in the clear from his comment earlier in the shift, but a little after one-am, three young adults came in having been in a car accident, their car having been hit by a drunk driver. Topher took lead on one of them, Drew and Krista took another, Jordan worked on another with Paul and TC took the driver, who was extremely drunk and before they could really get into treating him, he died.

Drunk driving accidents were sadly a common appearance during the night shift and it always hit everyone hard. Thankfully with all hands working on the young adults, two of them bounced back quickly and only one had to be sent up to Scott for an emergency removal of their spleen.

With Topher, Krista and Drew's patients stable, the three were able to go get their next coffee of the shift, "since when did you start wearing a ring?" Topher asked, motioning to the band on Drew's hand.

"Uh," Drew glanced at his hand, "since today."

"Really?" Topher grinned, "did I miss something?"

"No," Drew shook his head, contemplating what he should say and realized he was already out, and he didn't want to keep hiding from his coworkers, "I wasn't going to say anything, because you know I'm not one to want to be the center of attention," he admitted, then smiled, "Rick and I got engaged."

"Congratulations!" Topher replied, "I'm happy for you guys."

~*~

As the shift wore on, more of Drew's friends found out and offered their congratulations. Drew was glad to have their support and part of him thought he should have come out sooner, but decided to put it in the past and focus on him, Rick and their future.

By four-am, Drew and Krista's patient from the car accident had been moved up to a hospital room for a brief stay to recover and Krista worked on their chart, so Drew moved on to the next patient. He saw a few more that shift, and Drew was practically counting the time before he was off. He loved his job, but even through what happened, he was still glad to have Rick home and wanted to spend more time with him, so he was keeping up with his charts, so he wouldn't have to stay longer to do paperwork.

Just after six-thirty, the whole night shift was looking forward to getting off work. Krista was walking out of an exam room and saw two women walk in, looking around for someone, "can I help you?" Krista asked, stepping towards them.

"Oh, yes, I'm looking for Dr. Alister," the oldest explained, "is he here?"

"Um, yes, he is. Are you a patient?" Krista wondered, looking to see if she could see Drew around, confused at who would be looking for him.

Just as Krista saw Drew walk out of a nearby exam room, the woman did too and stepped away from her, "Andrew Michael Alister, get your ass over here!" The woman exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Setting the chart down on the nurse's station, Drew froze when he heard his full name and slowly turned to see Rick's mom and younger sister standing in the ER. Swallowing nervously, he took a deep breath and moved towards them.

"Drew, do you know them?" Krista asked, her eyes wide from shock.

"Krista meet Terry," he motioned to the older woman, "and Gabby," he nodded at the younger one, "Rick's mom and younger sister," he explained, his hands staying in his pockets, so they didn't see the ring he had on, "ladies, this is my friend Krista."

"Oh wow! Hi," Krista waved, "nice to meet you both."

"You as well," Terry replied, "I apologize for the outburst."

"It's okay," Krista smiled, looking at Drew, "do you need help with any patients before our shift is over?"

"No, I just discharged my last patient. It's almost seven. I'm gonna see if Jordan will let me leave a few minutes early," he added, "would you like me to take you up to Rick now or can you wait a bit?" He asked, looking at Terry and Gabby.

"We can wait for you," Terry replied, "I want to see my son, but I don't know my way around the hospital."

~*~

Since it was close enough to seven, Jordan didn't have a problem with Drew cutting out early, so he went to change and clean up a little, before grabbing his bag and moving to meet Rick's mom and sister in the ER waiting room.

Guiding them down the hallway, they paused at the elevator and Drew was unconsciously holding his backpack with his left hand, so the ring was visible.

"Oh my word! What is that?" Terry gasped, motioning to his hand.

Drew glanced down and his eyes widened, "um, well, why don't you ask Rick that," he replied quickly. The last thing he wanted to be doing was telling Rick's family the news before Rick had a chance to.

"So this is the hospital you've been working in for a little over a year, huh?" Gabby asked, looking at Drew as they stepped onto the elevator, trying to help change the subject; she had a feeling she knew why Drew was being hesitant to answer.

"Yeah, it is," Drew agreed.

"That's cool. So you're a real doctor, I mean, you see patients, right?" She wondered.

"I do. I'm still a resident, so I have to work under the observation of an attending physician, but in the general scheme of things, I'm a doctor. After a few more years of residency, I'll be a full doctor," Drew explained.

"That's when you'll go back to work for the Army, right?" Terry asked.

Drew nodded, "yeah, for a minimum of ten years."

As the three stepped off the elevator, Drew guided them down the hallway he'd walked quite a few times already and paused outside of Rick's room. Listening for a moment and not hearing anything, he stepped inside and glanced around, surprised to see Rick gone. Darting his eyes around the room, Drew noticed his backpack was still there, along with a duffel bag with his name on it, so he knew he hadn't changed rooms, and the IV stand was sitting by the bed, the tubing hanging over the hook, so his nurse had unhooked him from it. Turning around he motioned for Gabby and Terry to come in, "he's not here, so I'm gonna go see where he is," he admitted.

As the two walked inside, Drew stepped out and went to find his nurse. He still had his badge on, so a woman standing at the nurses station smiled at him, "can I help you doctor?"

"I was wondering what happened to the patient in 418," he admitted.

"Um, I'm not sure. His nurse is," she glanced at the sheet in front of her, "Mandy," she motioned to the same one he'd seen earlier when he'd been up there, doing her charts on a computer nearby.

"Thank you," Drew smiled, moving towards her, "Mandy?"

"Hey, Dr. Alister. Can I help you with something?" She asked, standing and smiling at him.

"Did Rick get taken for a test or something?" He asked, "because he's not in his room."

"Oh! An Army friend of his came in a bit ago to drop his duffel bag off. He wanted to get out of the room, so I got him some crutches and unhooked him from his IV, since he didn't want the morphine and the only other IV medicine he's getting is antibiotics, but only at certain times a day. He said he'd broken his leg in the past, so he knew how to use the crutches and he and his friend went down to the cafeteria for breakfast," she explained, just as Scott walked towards them, also in search of Rick.

"Wait a second, what was that?" Scott asked, stepping up to them, "did you say you let my patient go out of his room with crutches, without consulting his doctor or a therapist who hasn't even evaluated him yet?"

"Captain Lincoln is quiet fit and he had no problem using the crutches, so as an RN and because I had no documentation that said he couldn't leave his room without authorization, I saw no reason why he couldn't leave. This is a surgical recovery floor and we encourage patients to get up and move around. His limb is not bleeding and his vitals are all normal, so he was fine to go," she explained.

Before Scott could respond, Drew put a hand up to stop the surgeon from going into a rant, "you're right. I'm on your side, Mandy," Drew replied, "thanks," he nodded at her and rested his hand on Scott's shoulder to guide him away from the nurse, "it's okay."

"But..." Scott started.

"I'm surprised Rick stayed in bed as long as he did. She's right, he's fit and has used crutches before. There's no reason why he couldn't get up and move around. I was gonna do that this afternoon, actually. We're Army. You can't keep us down for long," Drew explained as they walked back towards the elevators, "and with all due respect, if you're gonna be here, you should get used to that."

"I guess I am," Scott agreed, "look, I have short surgery in a few minutes. I'll be back in a little while. Do you think you can get him back to his room soon and keep him there until I can talk with you guys?"

"I can do that," Drew nodded, "is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it is. I just wanted to talk about the next stage," Scott replied, nodding at Drew and stepping away to return to the OR.

Drew moved back towards Rick's room and saw his sister and mom sitting in a few of the chairs, "he went downstairs to the cafeteria with an Army buddy that stopped by," he explained, "you two want something to eat? My treat."

"Sure!" Gabby grinned, standing up, "mom wanted to come right here and I suggested food first."

"Forgive me if my son was more important than eating," Terry replied, standing up, "but thank you, Drew. Breakfast sounds great!"

~*~

Leaving his bag, Drew kept his badge and wallet and moved back to the elevator with them and soon was heading down to the main level of the hospital to get to the cafeteria. It wasn't typical hospital food, they did have some decent things to get and as Drew motioned around, telling the women to get anything they'd like, he wandered into the quiet cafeteria and found Rick and his buddy, one of the guys that had been in the ER the night before.

Rick looked more awake than when he'd left him hours prior and Drew was glad to see him out of the room. He still had on Drew's t-shirt and now had on a pair of sweat pants, but reminding him of what happened, leaning against the table were the crutches he was using. "Hey, guys," Drew greeted, wanting to warn Rick of his visitors.

"Lieutenant," the man stood up, "sir."

"At ease," Drew waved off the greeting, as the guy sat back down, "I'm not here as an officer," he admitted, turning to look at Rick, "you're a hard guy to find."

Rick laughed lightly, "sorry, I had to get out of that room."

"That's okay," he assured him, "Dr. Clemmens was a little pissed, though," he added, glancing to see the two Lincoln women getting their breakfast, "I wanted to give you a warning. Your mom and little sister are here."

"What?" Rick gasped, sitting up a little more and turning to look towards them, but from where he was sitting he couldn't see them.

"They're getting breakfast. I'm gonna go grab something. Mind if we join you?" He asked, glancing at the other guy, unsure if he'd be okay with that.

"Feel free," the man motioned to the empty chairs at the table.

Drew nodded and moved to pick up a few items for breakfast and once he, Terry and Gabby had gotten their stuff rung up, he used his badge to pay and then the three moved towards the guys' table, "they're over here," he explained, partially keeping an eye on Gabby and Terry. The last thing he wanted was them freaking out, but with Rick sitting down and having sweats on, his amputation wasn't as visible as it could be.

"Oh my baby boy!" Terry gasped as soon as she saw him, setting her tray on the table and rushing to Rick, putting her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

"Gee, mom, you sure know how to embarrass a Captain in the US Army," Gabby shook her head.

Rick turned and hugged his mom, glad to see some of his family after having been gone so long, "I agree with you sis, but given the situation, right now, I don't care," Rick commented, kissing his mom's cheek, before reaching for his sister and putting his arm around her in a hug.

Drew looked at Sergeant Logan, "did you find his bag?"

"Yeah. I went to pick up my stuff and saw it was still there. He said Dr. Krista had gotten his backpack," he explained, "I'm glad the surgery went well."

"Me, too," Drew looked at Rick, "and it looks like he'll be up and about sooner than expected. I thought his surgeon was gonna have a fit when he found out he was down here with crutches."

"What did he expect me to do? I don't do well sitting on my ass," Rick commented as his mom took a seat next to him and Gabby next to her, so Drew sat down next to Sergeant Logan.

"I told him he can't keep us Army guys down for long," Drew replied.

"Exactly!" Rick replied.

"Oh, you boys and your tough acts. Twenty-four hours ago you had your leg cut off, I think you're allowed to take care of yourself," Terry huffed.

Rick turned to his mom, "what would you rather me do? Lay in bed for the next six weeks and feel sorry for myself? Not happening. I'm not thrilled with what happened," he motioned below the table where his leg was missing, "but at this moment, I'm glad to be alive and as I was told yesterday, we can deal with the rest later," he glanced at Drew and smiled, "I just needed a clear head to think straight."

Drew returned Rick's smile, "I figured it would help and yeah, we can deal with the rest later."

~*~

The group chatted lightly while they ate and when they finished, Logan excused himself. He had to report to work soon and didn't want to be late, so Rick thanked him for bringing his bag and Logan shared handshakes with everyone before he left.

Deciding to go back to Rick's room, Gabby and Terry returned all their trays and came back to the guys. At Rick's suggestion, Gabby and Terry headed back to his room, while Drew 'helped' him stand up.

"I didn't need your help, actually, but it got them away for five minutes," Rick admitted softly, carefully resting one hand on the back of his chair and the other on the table, before pushing himself up on his good leg, able to balance on it to get the crutches under his arms. Once settled, Rick was leaning a little forward to balance himself, but was able to look at Drew, almost eye-to-eye. He had been scared he'd never be able to do that again, but he told himself he would stand and walk again, which is why he refused to use a wheelchair, "hey."

"Hey back," Drew replied with a smile, "you okay?"

"I am now," he nodded, motioning towards the way his mom and sister had gone, "I'll tell you upstairs."

"Okay," Drew nodded.

Silently Rick took off first, moving easily on the crutches and Drew followed beside him, or behind him, so people could pass. Drew was happy to see Rick up and moving; he hated to admit he briefly worried Rick would just give up, but he was glad to see that he was fighting back and adapting to the changes and Drew looked forward to being there with him through them all.

As they guys got onto the elevator, thankfully without anyone else, Rick looked at Drew, "I have some things I want to talk to you about, but I can't with mom and Gabby around. Do you know where they're staying?"

"No," Drew shook his head, "all I know is your mom rented a car. Neither of us really have a ton of extra space, but we can't expect them to stay in a hotel. Your mom doesn't seem like she's going to just be here a few days," Drew admitted.

Taking a deep breath, Rick gathered his thoughts, "when I'm discharged, I don't think I'll be able to go back to my place for a while. I live on the second floor of an apartment complex with no elevator. Even with crutches that's gonna be a lot of work, and I don't know if I could do it right now."

Drew nodded in understanding and stepped closer, "I was kinda hoping I could get a roommate. I mean, we did just get engaged, didn't we?"

Rick smiled, nodding at him, "we definitely did. You want me to move in?"

"Yeah, I do," Drew replied, "I was going to ask you anyway, honestly."

"Really? You weren't concerned about people finding out?" Rick raised a curious eyebrow at him, "sorry, I don't mean to bring that up, but that just surprised me."

The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor and Rick moved off first, followed by Drew, which gave Drew a moment to collect his thoughts, "you're worth more to me than labels. At the time I thought about it, I figured it wouldn't be unusual for two officers to live together, since one's deployed a lot, so it wouldn't raise too many questions, but now," the two paused near his room, "I wanna live with my fiancé. I'm tired of pretending that what we have is nothing when it's everything to me."

Rick carefully took one of his hands off his crutches and reached out, brushing his hand over Drew's arm, the doctor not flinching away like he'd done in the ER. The simple connection, even briefly, was what the two needed and he smiled, "I'm in, Drew. You're everything to me, too, and I completely agree. I'm tired of pretending."

Drew nodded and smiled, "I'm so glad you're home."

"Me, too," Rick returned his smile.

"Oh, you should know your mom saw the ring, but I didn't tell her anything," Drew added, before the two continued to his room.

Rick groaned. He hadn't expected to see his family so soon after getting home from deployment, so he figured they'd share the news once they'd had some time to enjoy their engagement, "since all of my plans have changed, what do you think we should do?"

"Everyone I work with knows, so you better tell them. They'll be around and if it slips, they're gonna be upset we didn't tell them," Drew admitted.

Nodding, the two reached is room and Rick smiled at his mom and sister, waiting for them to come back, "hey," he moved to the side of the bed near where they were sitting.

Terry took a deep breath, for the first time really seeing the absence of his lower leg and got up, moving towards him, "this is not how I imagined your return home," she admitted, fighting tears.

Leaning against the bed, so it helped support him, Rick set his crutches aside and put his arms out, pulling his mom into a hug, "same here, but I'm home," he murmured.

Gabby stood up and moved over to Drew, leaning against the wall at the end of Rick's bed, "how are you doing?" She asked, looking at him, "mom said you had been in the ER when Rick came in."

Drew looked at her, taking a deep breath, "I was. I remember talking to him on the phone and hanging up kinda quickly because someone wanted to show me something. The next thing I know we're all standing around for a quick meeting and Molly is saying dispatch just called. There had been a bus accident and all the injured were soldiers and our patients would be there in twenty minutes," he explained, noticing Rick and Terry were now listening, "it was the worst feeling in the world. I had no clue if you'd be at our hospital or if it was even your bus, but I didn't have time to worry. I had to get ready for traumas and when the first ambulances showed up, I almost didn't want to know.TC and Jordan showed up, immediately jumping right in and people were stumbling over each other. Scott was asking me for an extra set of hands and all I could do was look at the soldier's faces, praying you weren't injured. When I saw the medics pull out that stretcher with you on it, unconscious, all I could do was yell for TC. He's the only one who knew about us, besides Krista, and he also was a field doctor and ranger in the Army, so he's the only one I trusted to work on you," he explained, "it was the best and worst day of my life."

Rick held out his hand to his fiancé, "come here," he murmured, wishing he could walk towards him, but he knew that wouldn't happen for a while.

Stepping forward, Drew took his hand, unsure what he was going to do.

When Drew got close enough, Rick shifted from his mom and put his arms around Drew, hugging him as close to normally as he had since he'd gotten home, "it was the best and worst day of my life, too," he whispered, "and I never thought I'd be able to do this again."

Drew happily put his arms around Rick, and held him tightly for a moment. He, too, had worried they'd never stand and hug like that again; it had been weird to lean down to Rick, when Rick had always been a few inches taller than him, "me too," he whispered, "just don't scare the crap out of me like that again, okay?"

Rick laughed lightly as he pulled back from Drew to look at him, "I'll do my best," he promised, reaching for Drew's left hand, looking at the ring he now had on it, "you give me a reason to stay safe," Rick turned to look at his mom and sister, "we're engaged," he smiled, before shifting to sit down, his good leg not strong enough to stay standing on it for too long yet.

"I knew it!" Terry gasped, smiling brightly. "How long? Have you been keeping it a secret or did it just happen?"

"It just happened. I brought the ring home with me from deployment," Rick explained, moving back on the bed to get comfortable.

Drew kept quiet for a moment, trying to gauge how Gabby and Terry took the news. His mom knew he was gay, but he didn't think anyone else in his family knew, including his strict, former military father. When Rick's family had found out they were together, it gave Drew a slight freedom and relief to know that at least if they stayed together, they'd have some family that supported their relationship, in case his family wasn't as open to his lifestyle choice as Rick's was.

"I'm so happy for you guys," Terry smiled, slipping her arm around Drew's back, "Drew, you know you're already part of the family. Now it's gonna be official."

"Thank you," Drew smiled, still getting used to being more open with people when it came to their relationship.

Hearing a knock on the door, Scott stepped inside, "there you are!" He commented, holding Rick's chart in his hand, "I thought you disappeared on me."

"Nah, just had to get out of this room," Rick replied with a laugh, "oh, mom, sis, this is Dr. Scott Clemmens. He's my surgeon."

"Nice to meet you," Scott nodded, "sorry it's under these circumstances."

"So when can I get out of here?" Rick asked.

"Richard! You just had surgery!" Terry replied glancing at her son.

"And my fiancé is an ER doctor," Rick retorted turning back to Scott.

Scott couldn't help a quick smirk grow on his face at his response, "actually that's what I'm here to talk about. As I was informed earlier and can obviously see, you're not one to stay down long. I get it, but I still have some tests and things that need to happen before you can leave, so maybe a few days. I also want you to continue IV antibiotics while you're here, too."

Rick sighed, but nodded, "yeah, okay. I can deal with a few more days."

"I promise you won't be here too much longer, but I'd like to talk about what happens after you leave here," Scott admitted.

"What do you mean? I go home, right?" Rick asked.

"Typically new amputees leave the hospital and go to a rehab center to learn how to live without the limb they lost. After learning you were already up and moving around with crutches, I'm curious if that's necessary," Scott told him.

"It's not. I'm not going anywhere, but home," Rick said firmly, "I'm sorry, but I'm still pissed that this happened in the first place," he motioned to his absent limb, "but I realize now that I've got a life I wanna live and I'd like to get back to it. I don't need to go to some rehab center and be away from my family any more than I already have been. I train with my soldiers. I've got plenty of upper body strength to support myself and I can deal with crutches for a few weeks or months until I can get a prosthetic," Rick told him, "I just want to go home."

Scott nodded in understanding and smiled, "that's what I was looking to hear. I'm having a really hard time coming up with anything wrong with you, besides the amputation, that would warrant a stay in a rehab center, so if you're sure you can go home, and physical therapy agrees, I'm fine with that. Also, I'd like, if you're okay with it, to have Drew unwrap your limb, so we can see it, and have him wrap it back up, because I imagine he'll be the one doing most of the wound care while it's healing."

Rick looked at Drew, "you up for that?"

Drew took a deep breath and nodded, "yeah. It'll be hard, but I'm not gonna let someone else do it."

"I'd like to do that now, if that's okay," Scott admitted and Rick nodded that it was okay, "you ladies can step out if you don't feel comfortable with this."

"I'm staying," Gabby replied.

"Me, too," Terry said, taking Rick's hand in hers.

"Okay. Drew, why don't you come with me, we'll get the supplies and come back to do that," Scott replied.

Drew nodded, following Scott out of the room and over to the supply closet, collecting the bandages they'd need. "I know we've only known each other a short time, but I really commend you for how well you seem to be handling this," Scott commented.

"Thanks. I'm trying," Drew replied, taking a deep breath, "I can't believe this happened, but he's alive. I'm thankful for that and I know we can deal with everything else together."

~*~

**...start explanation...**

When Drew and Scott returned to the room, Rick had pulled his pant leg up, so his mom and sister could really see his leg; Gabby was stunned and Terry had tears falling from her eyes. Drew understood what they were feeling, but needed to empty what was in his hands, so he chose to finish gathering things up. Grabbing a box of large gloves from the rack, he set them and the supplies on the bed, before stepping closer to the two and putting an arm around each of them. Gabby sunk against him and so did Terry, "let it out," he murmured, for once being able to truly console upset family members. He normally needed to stay as neutral as possible when it came to dealing with patient's family members in the ER, showing concern, while keeping his emotions from getting in the way. The benefit at the moment was that he wasn't being a doctor; he was taking care of his family and as much as they needed the comfort, so did he.

After a brief hug, Gabby pulled back from Drew and thanked him for that. Drew nodded at her and Terry took a few moments longer to calm down before she pulled away and thanked him, assuring him she was fine and urged him to get to work.

Once Drew was sure Gabby and Terry were alright, he took a seat on the edge of Rick's bed and put on a pair of gloves.

Rick couldn't help having an entertaining thought and laughed lightly, "I could really say something right now, but I'm so not going to," he commented, hoping it would break the tension in the room as Drew began to open some of the gauze he'd need, along with one of the bottles of saline.

Drew lost himself in what he was doing, carefully removing the dressing so it wouldn't disrupt any of the staples holding the incision closed. Finally, after a large pile of used gauze was made on the bed, he finally uncovered the incision.

Tossing the old gauze away, Drew took a moment to look at his residual limb, a little smaller than the rest of his leg, due to the pressure the dressing was purposely putting on it, so fluid wouldn't settle in the area, preventing healing. Near his knee, a suction drain tube was attached to a small bulb to catch any excess fluid, though it was pretty empty. Just at the bend of his knee was the first incision, that he'd come in with, so that was stapled up and so was the area a few inches below it. A flap of skin that used to be the back of his lower leg, what hadn't been damaged during the failed procedure TC tried, was now brought forward, creating a smooth base and was stapled in the front of the limb, an inch from the base.

Scott, also wearing gloves, motioned to the incision, "with the staples in, you can't be putting weight on it. That's why most amputees start out in a wheelchair, but I see you're already up to crutches, so that's alright. You just have to be careful. There was a lot of trauma to the limb, before and during the amputation, so you have to give as much time as you can to let it heal completely before you start putting weight on it," he explained, "whoever ends up working with you to make your prosthetic will be able to tell when it's healed enough, but if you're not comfortable or ready, let them know. They won't push you," Scott added, reaching for the scissors and snipped the tiny string holding the drain from slipping out too soon and removed the tubing, since the drain was empty, "this can come out, too."

Rick flinched a little as it came out, stinging at the movement, but once it was gone, part of the ache he'd had subsided, "remind me to take drugs before you do this again."

"Sorry," Drew replied softly, gently resting his gloved hand on the side of Rick's knee, hoping it could soothe things for a moment.

"It's okay. Just stings a little," Rick admitted, looking at Scott, "so no weight on it for what? A few months?"

"I'd say at least six weeks, maybe more," Scott told him, "but the staples probably will be ready to come out within two weeks; the outside skin should be closed by then, but you'll still be healing inside. I'll let Drew be the judge on when to remove them."

Drew nodded and took the bottle of saline and some gauze and began to lightly clean the skin where the staples were, "I imagine I'll remove a few at a time. That way, there's less chance the incision could open before it's healed completely."

"Good idea," Scott agreed, looking at the wound, "how does it look, Drew?" Scott asked, looking at the younger doctor.

Drew finished cleaning and brushed his thumb over the skin, "I think it looks really good. There's no swelling or sign of infection," he admitted, changing his gloves.

"I concur," Scott agreed, writing some notes on the chart in his hand, "now, when you wrap it, you can't go straight across or you could cut the circulation off, so make a figure-8 around the limb. Also make sure it's tight to stay secure, but not tight enough that it could cause more problems."

Drew laid some light gauze over the two incisions to catch any drainage and then took Scott's direction, wrapping it the way he suggested. As he finished, he used some tape to secure the gauze so it didn't unravel, "how's that?" He asked, glancing at Rick.

**...stop explanation...**

Rick shrugged, "feels fine. I guess we'll know in a while if it stays," he smiled, "thanks."

"No problem," Drew smiled, taking off his gloves and moving to get some hand sanitizer, "seems easy enough. It'll only have to be wrapped like that while the staples are still in and the incision is fresh, right?"

"Yeah, that's the plan. Now, when you go for a prosthetic, they may give you a stocking to wear that keeps the limb in the same shape, so it'll make wearing a prosthetic easier, but that will be up to you and them. I have a feeling you'll be back to the gym as soon as you can, huh?" Scott asked, glancing at Rick.

"Maybe not right away, but soon," Rick replied, "what about physical therapy?"

"As we've discussed, you're already further along than many patients in your place, so it'll be up to the physical therapist here that evaluates you to see if you need it. I don't think you do," Scott replied, "after you get your prosthetic, you will, though; you'll have to learn how to wear it and see how things will change with it."

"So, in other words, I'm here for the next few days for antibiotics and then I'm free to go home?" Rick asked, "the other stuff will come later?"

"If the tests I'm ordering are normal and physical therapy agrees, then yes, after a few more doses of IV antibiotics, I'll discharge you to go home," Scott smiled.

"Awesome!" Rick smiled, happy to hear that, "thanks!"

The others thanked Scott and he nodded his goodbyes, leaving to put some orders in for some tests and to finish charting his visit.

"Talk about lucky. You have a doctor for a fiancé," Gabby grinned.

Rick looked at Drew and smiled, "yeah, I'm pretty lucky."

"You're not the only lucky one," Drew replied, smiling at him. Before he could say anything else, a yawn slipped from his lips, "sorry," he murmured.

"You should go home and get some sleep," Rick commented, looking at his fiancé.

"What? You trying to get rid of me?" Drew asked with a grin.

"Not at all, but you slept here yesterday and have had a few long shifts," Rick admitted, "I don't want you to leave, but you need a break, Drew."

Drew took a deep breath and nodded, "yeah, I guess," he agreed, "want me to take your bags?" He motioned to Rick's duffel and backpack.

"Um, yeah," Rick shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, "I could use some clothes. You think you could swing by my place?"

"I could definitely do that," Drew nodded, stepping closer to his fiancé.

Rick pushed himself to stand up again and Drew reached out to help him balance, "this is gonna take some getting used to. Thanks," he murmured, shifting to wrap his arms around Drew, "I love you."

Drew's eyes fell closed as he held onto his fiancé, taking a calming breath and soaking in his warmth, "I love you, too. So much."

~*~

A/N3: Hope everyone enjoyed! Please review and let me know! The moment Rick made the comment that he and Drew were supposed to go hiking, I got this feeling he had more of a reason why he was pissed than just a change of plans and this is what came from it. I wanted to give them some happiness with all that was going on... I have over 60 pages written and tons more on my mind to write, so this is definitely going to be a WIP for quite some time! I love Drew and Rick individually and as a couple, so I hope we're able to see more of them in season 2!  
A/N4: I never knew how painful it'd be to lose a limb, but after my dad's surgery, I quickly learned. His surgery happened in the evening and when the surgeon talked to me and my mom afterward, he told us he would be in recovery and moved to his room after a few hours, so we went home to get some sleep. We found out from dad that he was in the recovery area for over six hours, in his words 'screaming and crying like a baby. My leg hurt so bad I wanted them to just kill me'. He says he'd never felt pain like that before and if something happens to his good leg, he'd rather die than lose his other leg, because he never wants to feel that pain again... My dad's surgeon didn't numb his leg, but I wrote it for Rick, so he could be in some pain, but not near what my dad was in; I don't wish that pain on anyone! I'll still show him in pain, because he will be for some time, but it's fiction and I wanted to give Rick some more relief than what my dad had at first.  
A/N5: To all the guest reviewers I couldn't reply to, thank you all for your love and support and hope to hear from you again!  
A/N6: Sending a huge thanks and shout out to the nightshiftfanficcommunity (dot) tumblr (dot) com for the warm welcome! Check it out if you get a chance! It's awesome!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott has some good news for Rick and the couple welcomes another surprise arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: This is the first time I've written a gay couple as main characters. In my other stories, the same-sex couples are parents or friends of my main characters, so I'm really glad to be getting such a positive response to the way I'm writing Drew and Rick! It really means a lot to me! I hope I continue to represent them well!

Before Drew actually left the hospital, he, Rick, Terry and Gabby talked briefly about where they would be staying. Rick offered his apartment, since he wouldn't be going there whenever he was discharged and even though they had just arrived to see Rick, the two women followed Drew over to Rick's place in their rental car, so they were sure they knew how to get there. Drew, knowing Rick's landlady, talked with the woman to explain who they were and why Gabby and Terry were there and introduced them, so there wasn't an issue with them being in and out of Rick's apartment.

Rick's landlady was happy to let them stay, understanding the situation, and once she had spoken with them, Drew took Rick's duffel and helped Terry and Gabby get their bags up to his apartment. Drew had left Rick's backpack in his SUV, but had gotten Rick's apartment keys from it, giving them to Terry and Gabby, and once he dropped off the bags in his hands, he went into Rick's room and collected a few days worth of clean clothes while the two Lincolns settled in.

Once Drew had gotten some things for Rick, he shouldered the bag and shared 'goodbyes' with Gabby and Terry. Heading out to his SUV with Rick's bag, he soon was heading home. It was a little closer to the hospital than Rick's place, but they didn't live too far apart, so not living 'together' hadn't been too hard, but Drew was glad they were finally moving in together, even though he wished they'd done it sooner. It wasn't just because of the accident, but in a way, the accident nudged them into taking another positive step in their relationship.

Pulling into his single-car driveway, Drew climbed out and gathered his and Rick's backpacks, leaving the bag of clothes in the backseat. Going to get his mail, Drew moved up the small walkway and towards his front door. He lived in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, single-story duplex. The building was connected in the middle by single-car garage for each side of the place, and the backyard had a small fence separating it for the two sides of the house. The place was nothing more than a small apartment inside, and for what Drew needed, he was perfectly content with what he had and knew he and Rick would be happy there for quite some time.

Moving inside, he dropped his mail and their backpacks by the door as he closed it. With a quick glance around to see it looked halfway decent for people to visit, he then headed to his room. Kicking off his shoes, he pulled the blankets back before he laid down, feeling like he hadn't slept in days; the chair in Rick's room wasn't the most comfortable. Turning his head to his clock, his eyes landed on the only visible picture he had of him and Rick in the apartment. It was one of them on the beach in Hawaii, both smiling happily. Drew smiled at the memory and looked at his hand to see the ring on it, but before he could really think about anything, exhaustion finally took over and he drifted off to sleep.

~*~

It wasn't often that Drew had dreams. He wasn't sure if it was from being over worked, his odd hours or just not having anything to dream about, but for the first time in months, he fell into such a deep sleep that dreams flooded his mind. Unfortunately, his dreams quickly morphed into a harsh nightmare. When he'd had them in the past, Drew could usually wake himself up before they got too bad, but this time he just couldn't pull himself out until the end, causing himself to wake quickly, gasping and feeling tears in his eyes. "Oh shit," he muttered, looking at the clock to see it was almost four-pm. Shifting a little, he dug for his phone and pulled up Rick's number and hit 'send'.

After three rings, Drew got a little worried, but quickly calmed down when he heard the familiar voice of his fiancé, "hey babe, you get some sleep?" Rick asked curiously.

"Are you okay?" Drew asked quickly, hating to sound so frantic, but the dream he'd had freaked him out.

"Yeah. I'm as good as can be expected," Rick replied, a little confused, "are you okay?"

"No," Drew murmured, rubbing his face, "but I'm getting better."

"What happened?" Rick wondered.

"Just had a really bad dream that felt a lot more real than it was," Drew murmured, taking a deep breath, "sorry. I shouldn't have called like this."

"I don't mind. I'm fine and my mom and sister just went to get dinner," Rick admitted, "we ordered you something, too, if you want it."

"Thanks," Drew smiled, "it's so nice to be able to call and have you answer."

Rick smiled, "I know the feeling and knowing that you're in the same state is great, too."

Drew glanced at his left hand and happily twirled his engagement ring, "yeah, that's definitely great," he agreed, "I love you."

"I love you, too. Why don't you get ready and come up here?" He suggested, "I could use the testosterone."

"What?" Drew laughed, moving to get up and began emptying his pockets, having been too tired to change when he got home.

"My mom and sister are driving me nuts. Mom keeps fixing my pillows and asking if I need a blanket or want my leg propped up. My sister is trying to calm my mom down and then they get into an argument that I have to break up," he sighed, "please."

"I'll be up there soon," Drew promised, laughing lightly.

~*~

Just after five, Drew was driving to the hospital, having left after he showered and changed clothes. Once at the hospital, he parked in the employee parking lot and headed for the ER and the doctor's locker room. Stuffing his bag into his locker and dropping Rick's on a bench nearby, Drew changed into clean scrubs and got ready for work, his stethoscope around his neck and his badge clipped to his shirt. Grabbing Rick's bag from where he'd set it, he headed upstairs to his fiancé. As he neared the room, he could hear laughing, so he stepped inside and saw Krista there, laughing and joking around with Rick, his mom and sister, "so the party's up here, huh?"

"Hey, babe," Rick smiled at him.

"Hey, back," Drew replied, moving towards him, dropping Rick's bag on his bed.

"You look better than you did this morning," Rick admitted.

"I guess. I got a few hours of sleep. Can't say they were restful, but they must have worked," Drew shrugged.

Rick reached out and hooked a finger into one of the pockets of Drew's scrub shirt, "back to these things again. You look so much better out of them."

Drew's cheeks flushed and Gabby groaned. She loved the two of them, and always supported them, but just like with her other siblings and parents, being the youngest, she teased all of them about anything that could be considered sexual, even if they hadn't meant it that way.

"I don't know if I've ever seen you blush like that," Krista grinned.

"It's not something that happens often," Drew replied with a laugh.

"I just mean they're so baggy you can't see him. I didn't mean it _that_ way, well maybe a little, but that wasn't my initial meaning," Rick smiled, patting Drew's abdomen with his hand, still feeling his toned abs under the scrubs and t-shirt he had on.

It wasn't a touch they usually shared in front of people, but they were comfortable with those there, so it was easy for them to show just how close they really were, "but they're so comfortable. Much looser than our uniforms," Drew admitted.

"Good point," Rick agreed, shifting on the bed, so there was more room next to him and patted the space he'd just moved from, "have a seat. I don't bite. Much," he winked.

The room laughed and Drew sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked his feet up, not often he spent time laying down on the hospital furniture, but he would definitely make an exception for his fiancé and winked at him playfully, "is that a promise?"

~*~

The group dug into the Chinese food Rick's mom and sister had gone to pick up and after a short time, someone knocked on the door and since no one was expecting anyone, Rick called for them to come in and moments later, TC and Topher walked in.

"Hey! Hope we're not interrupting," TC commented, looking around.

"Nope, just hanging out," Rick assured them.

"I don't know if you remember me, but I was your doctor in the ER," TC explained.

"I vaguely remember," Rick admitted, "you tried to save my leg. Thank you for that."

"Just wish I could have done more," TC replied, reaching to shake his hand.

Rick returned the handshake and shrugged, "you tried. I've come to terms with it a little and I'm back with him, so I'll manage," he added, motioning to Drew next to him.

TC smiled, "I'm glad you finally came out," he looked at Drew, "I know what you did couldn't have been easy, but we got your back," TC assured him.

"Thanks, guys," Drew smiled, nodding at them, "Rick, this is Topher. I don't know if you guys met that night."

"I think I saw you working with Wilson," Rick admitted, shaking Topher's hand when he stepped forward.

"I did. Nice to meet you. Sorry about Wilson. Seemed like a good kid," Topher replied, "sounds like you're doing well."

"Yeah, as good as can be expected. Physical therapy signed off on me going home, too," he glanced at Drew, "that happened while you were at home."

"That's great," Drew smiled, "I kinda figured they would."

"Mr. Show-off over here," Gabby laughed, "I thought the PT lady was gonna have a heart attack."

Rick shook his head, "well, she kept asking these stupid questions about if I could lift my leg and bend my knee. I simply said I'm a soldier and I could do a lot more than that. Then I got down on the floor and did ten push-ups, stood on my hands, walked on them across the room and got back up all by myself." The entire room erupted in laughter at Rick's words, "I'm not kidding. And mom's over there practically yelling at me like I'm a toddler again, "Rick, get up, you're gonna hurt yourself," and it's like, I've done four tours in the worst place imaginable. I've had bullets flying past my head, lost guys in combat, have been in brawls and hand-to-hand combat situations and seen things people could only have nightmares about. This is not going to keep me down. I've got a lot more to live for," Rick explained, looking at his mom, "I'll be fine."

Terry rolled her eyes, "no matter how old you are, even when you're gray and have kids of your own, you're gonna always be my baby boy."

"Just give in, bro. I did years ago," Gabby admitted, "because we're always going to be the babies of the family."

Rick looked at his fiancé when Terry mentioned kids of his own. He and Drew loved kids, both having nieces and nephews, but it wasn't a conversation they'd ever really had and Rick, in the past, had figured they'd never be able to settle down to have a family for various reasons, unsure if they'd ever be 'out' enough to, or be able to with their military careers.

Drew shared similar thoughts as he looked at Rick, but no one really caught on, because it happened so briefly and new arrivals interrupted their conversation. This time, when Rick called them in, he kissed Drew, not realizing who had arrived.

Walking into the room was a woman, dressed in an Army Combat Uniform (ACU), cover in her hand and wearing the same patches as Rick wore on his uniform.

The moment Drew saw the woman and her rank patch, his eyes widened and he practically fell off the bed in shock.

"Lieutenant First Class and Doctor Drew Alister, I presume," the woman smiled, nodding at Drew, before turning to Rick, "Rick, how are you feeling?"

"I'm doing alright. Lieutenant Colonel Maggie Samson, I'd like you to meet my fiancé Drew. Drew this is the Maggie I've mentioned and who I told about us while I was deployed," Rick admitted, glancing at his fiancé, who still looked shocked, "remember me asking you if it was okay?"

Drew blinked, then calmed down and stepped forward, holding out his hand, "it's nice to meet you, ma'am. Forgive me, I didn't realize that the 'Maggie' Rick spoke of was a Lieutenant Colonel."

"It's okay," she shook his hand, "it's nice to finally meet you. I feel like I already know you," she added with a smile, "and it's just Maggie. I'm off duty," she glanced at Rick, "sorry I'm just getting here, Rick. It's been hectic since the accident."

"I imagine it would be. I'm afraid to ask, but how many were seriously injured? How many did we lose?" Rick asked softly, the question having been on his mind for a while.

"We lost three. You and a few others are the most serious injured, thankfully most everyone made it out with minimal injuries," she explained, "and General Plat is trying to pull some strings to get you all purple hearts."

"Why? It was a bus accident. Not enemy related," Rick replied.

"I know, but as he said, you were not physically on post yet, so he's trying to get it. I don't know if it will happen, but he's trying. You all deserve it," Maggie explained.

Rick shrugged, "I guess. If he can get it, great, but I'm not holding my breath."

~*~

Maggie stayed for a short time, glad to see Rick was doing so well and was happy to hear Drew and Rick were finally be open about their personal life. By the time she left, Drew could easily see that Rick and Maggie had a friendship like he had with Krista and though he was still surprised that she was a Lieutenant Colonel, several ranks higher than Drew at a First Lieutenant and Rick at Captain, he was glad to see Rick had someone close to him that he could talk with.

Topher, TC and Krista left just after she did, off to get ready for work and Drew promised he'd see them downstairs. Knowing Drew had about an hour before he needed to be in the ER, Gabby talked Terry into going down to the cafeteria for some coffee, allowing Rick and Drew to get some time alone.

Drew was sitting next to Rick on the bed and turned to his side to face his fiancé, who was now laying on his back, one hand behind his head, and Drew took his left hand and reached for Rick's other hand, "alone finally," he murmured, deciding to hold off on mentioning Maggie and her visit until later on when they would have plenty of time to talk.

Rick nodded and looked at Drew, the way they were laying suggested more than he was up for in a hospital, but just being close to him meant a lot, "yeah, finally. And this is not how I imagined us being in bed together for the first time since getting home."

"We'll have plenty of time for that soon," Drew smiled lightly, draping his arm over Rick's chest, resting his left hand above Rick's heart.

Smiling at Drew, Rick lifted his other arm and put it around Drew's neck, pulling him close and kissing him on the lips, "did you have the same thought I did when my mom mentioned kids?"

"That we'd never talked about us having kids?" Drew asked and when Rick nodded, he returned his nod, "yeah, I thought that, too. Is that a possibility?"

"Well, I don't think I have to tell you that we can't physically make kids between us," Rick smirked.

Drew laughed lightly and patted his chest, "obviously. I'd be fine with adopting or having a surrogate... If that's something we'd be up for. Do you want kids?"

"I've thought of them, but knowing we're gay and planned to have careers in the military, it was hard to consider them. We never knew if we'd ever be able to be 'out' enough to have a family, but," Rick took a deep breath and then smiled at his fiancé, "I definitely want to have kids. Do you? If you don't, I'd be fine with that, too, and how we have them; I'm open for either. I know you'd be a great dad, if you did want to have them."

When Drew asked Rick, he also took a moment to gather his own thoughts and he kept coming back to how much he loved Rick and wanted to have a family with him, "you'll be a great dad, too. I want us to have a family," he murmured, pressing a kiss to Rick's lips.

Rick shifted and wrapped his other arm around Drew and the two settled together for a few silent moments to soak in what they'd just talked about and decided; one day, they would, somehow, have kids of their own. "I really wish we were home right now," Rick murmured, hating that he was keeping an eye on the clock, but he knew Drew had to work that evening and he didn't want him to be late.

"Me, too," Drew agreed, hearing voices near the door, recognizing Terry and Gabby had come back, but he refused to move. It was the closest, physically, that he'd been to Rick since he'd gotten home and he did not want to let go anytime soon, "we'll get there soon."

There was something Rick had on his mind since it'd happened in the ER and he knew he could pass it off as the drugs and being mad at the world, but he'd seen the hurt in Drew's eyes when he'd walked away and he hated that he made Drew feel that way, "Drew, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Drew asked, pulling back to look at him.

"For almost outing you before you were ready in front of Dr. De La Cruz," he told him, "and for the other stuff I said."

"Don't," Drew shook his head, "you don't have to apologize for that. We both were not thinking clearly and," Drew took Rick's hand in his, "you were upset. We both were and you were just taking it out on the closest person you trusted. We're gonna have arguments, all couples do, it's how we handle them that's important and I'm confident if we argue, we'll be able to work things out," he smiled, pressing a kiss to Rick's hand.

Rick smiled and sighed in relief, loving how Drew could calm him down with such simple touches, "you're amazing, Drew."

Drew looked up at Rick, "so are you," he smiled, shifting to hug him.

As the two men hugged, Rick's mom and sister walked into the room without knocking, "oh you two are so adorable!" She grinned brightly.

The guys pulled apart and both blushed at her, "thanks, mom. Two tough soldiers just love to be called adorable," Rick rolled his eyes.

"I'm just so happy you two are open," Terry smiled, "there's no need to hide."

"My mom is the only one of my family who knows and it's because she figured it out," Drew admitted, biting his lip, "I guess I should think about going home to tell them."

"Do that when you're ready," Rick told him, "I'm here and I'll even go with you if you want me to," he assured him.

Drew smiled at Rick, "thanks. We'll see, okay? I don't know how well they'll take it if they find out and meet you all at the same time."

"We'll do this however you want to," Rick replied, smiling.

As Drew nodded, Scott knocked on the door and stepped inside, holding a folder, "hey guys," Scott smiled.

"Hey doc," Rick waved.

"I hear you gave the physical therapist a run for her money," Scott grinned.

Rick laughed, "you could say that."

"Well, they passed you and because you were up for being a pin cushion today, I got the results back to all of the blood work I ordered and they're all normal. I would have been in sooner, but I wanted to finish this up," he held out a folder and a pen to Rick.

"What's this?" Rick asked, looking at him as he took the items.

On the folder was a collection of papers, including a few small sheets, one a prescription for pain killers and another for antibiotics. Another sheet had orders for crutches and the larger sheet was a three layered sheet of paper with his discharge orders, ready for him to sign and some notes about who to contact for his prosthetic and some other details he might need. "I see no reason to keep you any longer. Your leg is healing well, Drew can handle the wound care and can recognize any concerning issues, your blood work is normal, so since you had IV antibiotics this afternoon, they will cover you until you can get these filled. As for the pain meds, according to your nurse, all you've taken is Tylenol, so I've given you some pain meds, but if Tylenol works, then take it as needed, just don't take too much."

Rick smiled, surprised at the sudden release, but couldn't resist signing the paper and handing it back to Scott, "thank you. I can go now? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You're discharged. You're healthy. I could see if you had other medical issues that would be concerning, but you don't, so yes, I'm sure. I told your nurse not to rush you guys, because I knew this would come as a shock, since I spoke of keeping you a few days, but I think you'll be more comfortable at home. As for you," Scott looked at Drew, "Jordan is aware you may be late to your shift and she asks you try to get back here by eleven. She doesn't know why, but I think she figured it out. I'm also letting you take the crutches home and when you get some of your own you can bring these back."

Initially, Drew had been happy to hear that Scott was discharging him and that his blood work was normal, but he figured he wouldn't be able to take Rick home, since he had to get to work, but with Jordan being okay with him being late, he was glad he could take him home.

"You have my number if you guys need anything and Drew can take the staples out in a month or so, or as the skin heals around them," Scott told them. "I'd be happy to check in with you guys, if you'd like, but somehow I think you guys are going to be just fine. Normally I wouldn't do this, but as I know Drew and his abilities, I trust you're in good hands," Scott said looking at Rick.

Rick nodded in agreement and smiled, "yeah, I definitely am."

~*~

Drew had his keys on him, so while Terry and Gabby helped get Rick situated, Drew went down to move his Jeep up to the main entrance and by the time he'd done that, Rick, his mom and sister were coming out of the main entrance with a nurse pushing Rick in a wheelchair. He wasn't thrilled with it and as Drew got out, he took the crutches from Terry and opened the door. The nurse moved the wheelchair close to the door and Rick stood up without the breaks even being on and rolled his eyes at his fiancé, before getting into the Jeep and settling into the passenger seat.

Knowing why he was rolling his eyes, Drew smirked as he closed the door and moved to put Rick's bag and crutches into the back end, where Drew thanked the nurse, who went back inside. After briefly talking to Gabby and Terry, the two Lincolns climbed into the backseat of his black four-door Jeep and Drew drove them over to where they were parked. Climbing out, the two got into their rental car and then the women followed Drew and Rick, since they didn't know where they were going.

While his sister and mom were in the SUV, Rick silently looked around at the new car he'd never been in before and once they were gone, he glanced at his fiancé, "nice car. Seeing pictures isn't the same as the real thing," Rick admitted with a smile.

"Thanks," Drew smiled, remembering emailing him some pictures of it when he got it, during Rick's most recent deployment, "I figured since I was actually making money, I could spring it on something I could use."

"It was worth it," Rick agreed, "and you deserve it."

Drew smiled his thanks and the two fell into a calming silence, both glad Rick was out of the hospital and ready to get back to their life together. Knowing they were getting close to his place, Drew glanced at Rick, "so, I haven't been to the store in a few days, but you should be good for the night. I wouldn't go drinking any alcohol while you're on pain meds and I can go in the morning and get your prescriptions."

"Sounds good to me," Rick replied, "we'll be fine. Mom and Gabby have a car, so they can always go to town to get something," he assured him, "sucks my first time visiting you at work turned out this way."

Drew smirked, "you can make it up to me later."

Rick reached over and ran his hand though Drew's short hair and gently massaged his scalp lovingly, but Drew flinched and hissed a little when he hit a certain spot, so Rick pulled back quickly in concern, "what's wrong?"

"You're not the only one who was in an accident," Drew admitted, rubbing his head and remembering the accident he'd been in.

"What? When?" Rick gasped, reaching up to feel his head, finding the scar, "why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh that would have been a great email, ' _Hey, Rick. I miss you like crazy. During our night maneuvers the Jeep I was in swerved to miss a cow in the road and it flipped. We all got hurt. One of my guys had to staple my head closed until I could get to the hospital to have Krista and Paul stitch it up. Don't worry. I'm fine. How's your day?_ " Drew shook his head, "I wasn't going to make you worry about me here when I was fine."

"I still did. If I went more than a few days hearing from you, I worried. Still will," Rick rested his hand on Drew's shoulder, "you work in the blood and guts of the ER. Hard telling what could come in there and haven't you said that you guys sometimes go out, if it's a serious injury?"

"Yeah, we do," Drew nodded, glancing at Rick as he turned onto a side street close to where he lives, "I'm always careful."

"I know and I do worry about you, but I'm more worried about all the crazies out there that you have to deal with," Rick admitted.

"You're always with me," Drew promised, motioning to his keys, where a single 'R' charm hung from one of the rings attached to them, "and now I have this," Drew lifted his hand from the wheel briefly, showing the ring, "so trust me, you've got my back."

Rick smirked and rubbed Drew's shoulder gently, winking at him, "and your front, and everyplace in between."

Drew couldn't help laughing lightly as he looked at Rick, "oh yeah? You may have to explain that later."

"I can do one better," Rick smiled, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Drew's cheek, "I can show you."

Doing his best to keep his focus on driving, Drew gasped and felt his whole body reacting to Rick's words, "don't tease. You know I have to go back to work in a few hours."

"Yeah, I know. Who says I'm teasing? I'm just showing you what to expect when you get home," Rick assured him, "fourteen months is a _very_ long time to be apart."

"So true," Drew agreed, taking a deep breath as he pulled onto his street.

As they reached Drew's driveway, both guys noticed the car parked in it, "uh, why is there a car from New Mexico parked in your driveway?" Rick wondered.

Drew pulled in behind the car, "I have no clue, but I think I know who it belongs to."

"Who?" Rick asked, unbuckling his belt.

"My mom," he murmured, climbing out of the SUV and moving to get Rick's bag and crutches.

By the time Drew reached Rick, he was already out of the car and leaning against the closed door, "did you call her?" Rick asked, taking the offered crutches and settled them under his arms.

"No, and I haven't said anything online and no one knows my family from the hospital, so I have no idea how anyone would have figured it out," he told him as Gabby and Terry walked up from where they parked their car along the street.

"Guess we'll find out," Rick replied moving forward, towards the front door.

Checking the knob and finding it unlocked, Drew sighed and pushed the door open, his eyes darting around for his mom, "mom, are you here?" Drew called out.

At his voice, the older Alister woman walked out of the kitchen and saw her son, Rick, Gabby and Terry, "sweetheart, you're home! I thought you would be at work," she admitted, her eyes landing on Rick, "and Rick, I'm so glad to finally meet you!" She exclaimed, stepping forward and giving him a hug.

Rick couldn't really return the hug with his hands on the crutches, but he nervously leaned into it, "uh, you, too, Mrs. Alister."

"Oh, please, call me Wendy. I think you've got enough of a relationship with my son to call his parents by their first names," she admitted, "Terry, Gabby, so nice to finally meet you two in person," Wendy admitted, briefly giving the two a hug.

Drew and Rick exchanged extremely confused glances as the three women, who they thought had no clue who each other were, acted like they'd known each other for years.

"Why do I feel like they're conspiring against us?" Rick asked, looking at his fiancé, "did you know about this?"

"No!" Drew shook his head, "I haven't talked to my mom in over a week."

Rick shifted towards Drew, "then how do they know each other?"

"Oh relax," Terry laughed, "I called her. We've been friends on Facebook for a while."

"How did you figure out who you guys were?" Rick asked.

Wendy smirked, "well, I know you don't use Facebook too often, but 'Rick Lincoln' likes a lot of photos of you, Drew. Usually you only respond to comments from Rick and you're friends with quite a few Lincolns, so I put two and two together to figure out he's your boyfriend," she explained, "I figured out who his mom was and we've been in contact a while."

"Okay," Drew commented, leaning against the back of his couch and dropped Rick's bag next to him, "when did you plan on telling us? I mean, you're our family and no one except a few people knew I was gay until the other day, so don't you think you could have mentioned that you talked with his mom?"

"Oh yes, because that subject always goes over so well with you. Every time I try to bring up your relationship or sexuality, you change the subject," Wendy replied, eyeing him, "which I do understand, so Terry and I figured the best way to tell you guys would be while we could both be here in person. We didn't expect it would be so soon after your return from deployment, Rick, but here we are. I'm so glad you're doing better, Rick," Wendy turned to Drew, "now are you going to give me a hug or are you just going to stand there?"

Drew moved forward and gave his mom a tight hug, "hey mom."

As the two pulled apart, she looked him over, dressed in the dark blue scrubs, "you look so handsome. This is the first time I've seen you in scrubs," she admitted, smiling proudly, "my son, the doctor!"

"Yeah," Drew's cheeks flushed and decided it was a good time to tell her, "mom, Rick's not just my boyfriend anymore," Drew commented, glancing at Rick and then smiling at his mom as he lifted his left hand, "he's my fiancé."

Wendy gasped, as a bright smile grew on her lips, "oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful news!" She replied, hugging her son again and then giving a hug to Rick, "congratulations!"

"Thank you," Rick smiled, glad she was okay with the news. As much as he wanted to continue to talk, he needed to lay down and get some pain meds in his system, "sorry, to drop the news and go, but I've gotta get my leg propped up," he explained, glancing at Drew, "can you get me some Tylenol?" He asked, as he excused himself from the group and moved towards the bedroom.

"Of course," Drew nodded, letting Rick get a head-start, before turning to the women, "please, feel free to make yourself at home. There's water and some drinks in the fridge. There isn't much for food, but I know there's some popcorn in the cupboard," he added, motioning around, before moving to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and then heading to the bathroom to get the Tylenol before finally joining Rick in the bedroom and closing the door.

"Closing the door?" Rick raised a curious eyebrow from where he was laying on the bed, already more comfortable than when he'd been at the hospital, "you sure that's a good idea?"

"Don't know," Drew admitted, setting the items in his hand down on the bedside table, then stood next to the bed, his eyes glancing at the clock that read '8:15pm', "honestly, don't care at the moment," he tugged at his scrub top until it came off over his head, his white undershirt coming with it, so he carefully laid them over the chair in his room, and kicked his shoes off.

Rick blinked in surprise at what Drew was doing so suddenly, but the moment his shirts came off, exposing his bare chest and toned abs, all thoughts Rick had vanished in his mind, "don't go starting something you can't finish, buddy," Rick murmured, his body quickly sparking in interest.

"Buddy? Seriously?" Drew smirked and crawled over him carefully and laid on his side next to him, "I hope we're more than just 'buddies'," he added, resting his hand on Rick's cheek.

"Of course we are," Rick grinned, leaning into his touch and shifted closer, also rolling to his side to face him and slid his arm around Drew's back, "a lot more."

"Damn right," Drew grinned, pressing a kiss to Rick's lips.

Rick continued the kiss, shifting even closer and letting his hand gently explore Drew's back, his soft skin and his warmth bringing Rick home, more than being there could. He only wished he didn't have to pull away from the kiss, but the ache in his leg snapped him out of the moment and pulled him into reality, "don't go anywhere," he murmured.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Drew replied, taking a deep breath and calming his senses as he felt more like himself than he had in a long time.

Sitting up, Rick took some Tylenol with the cold water and then tugged off his shirt, though it was technically Drew's, but since they wore the same size, it didn't matter who it belonged to, and tossed the item to the dirty clothes basket. Quickly returning to where he'd been, he replaced his arm around Drew's back and pulled him closer, "now, where were we?"

Drew slid his arm around Rick and leaned in, kissing him, "I think you were showing me what you were talking about in the car," he murmured.

Rick nodded and smiled, "I definitely think we should do more of that."

"Oh yeah?" Drew grinned, pressing a kiss on Rick's shoulder, "me, too."

~*~

The guys knew they weren't home alone, so they didn't take anything too far, even though they really wanted to. Instead, they agreed they'd have plenty of free time together in the future to do more, and they really didn't want to rush anything or be interrupted, so they just enjoyed feeling comfortable and safe together; something they truly missed.

Spending some time just being lazy together, the guys calmed down and after a while, Drew got up and dug out an extra pillow from his closet and helped Rick prop up his leg, before returning to bed, laying on his side next to Rick. Resting his hand on Rick's chest, Drew let his fingertips gently brush over his skin, soaking in his warmth and the reality of finally having him home.

They'd been in the bedroom for almost an hour and Drew was keeping a close eye on the clock. It was a little after nine, and even though he was clear to get back to work by eleven, he didn't think he should wait too long to get back, "I should probably go back to the hospital in the next hour."

Rick nodded, "I figured you'd need to get going soon. We can continue later," he promised.

"That's my thoughts, too," Drew agreed, kissing him.

Just as Rick deepened the kiss, one hand coming to rest on Drew's cheek, the bedroom door opened without anyone knocking, "Rick, Drew, what are you... Oh crap! Sorry guys!" Gabby gasped, her cheeks flushing when she realized what she'd just interrupted and quickly closed her eyes.

"It's okay, Gabby," Rick replied, as he and Drew pulled apart, "at least this time it is. Next time knock," he added with a laugh.

Gabby opened one eye to see if they were decent and when she realized they both still had their pants on, she opened her other eye and calmed down a little, "will do. So sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Drew stood up and moved to where his shirts were and put them back on, before grabbing his shoes and sitting on the bed next to Rick to put them on.

"What's up?" Rick asked, sitting up a little more.

"Oh, uh, well, we were wondering when you were going back to work and they wanna go grocery shopping, so I was gonna see if you wanted me to hang here with you or go with them?" Gabby asked.

"Stay," Drew commented, turning to look at his fiancé, who was about to protest, "you just got home. You might be 'fine', but it wouldn't hurt to have an extra set of hands around here for a while."

"Fine," he sighed, "I love you, sis, but I don't need a babysitter."

Gabby laughed, "I never thought you did. My big brother just got home from being gone for like, ever, so I was hoping we could hang out."

"That could definitely be arranged," Rick agreed, standing up on the crutches and moving over to Drew's closet, "you mind if I borrow a shirt?"

Drew stood up and moved towards him, "nope. We wear the same size, go for it."

"But we have some different tastes," Rick replied with a laugh, reaching for a t-shirt, finding only a few shirts that weren't t-shirts.

"Well, not everyone dresses like they're going to the country club every day," Drew laughed, as Rick leaned against the wall and put the shirt on, "and you could ask for help."

Rick silently listened to him and managed to get it on without help, "why? I did it myself," he added, pushing off the wall on the crutches and moved towards the bedroom door.

"He's not stubborn or anything, is he?" Gabby laughed.

"I'd be the same way," Drew replied, following her and Rick out of the room.

The two moms were sitting in the living room and when they looked up, they easily could tell that Rick had a different shirt on, "shall we pick up some condoms when we go to the store?" Wendy asked.

"Oh, my God, mom!" Drew groaned.

"Well, it is a valid question. I'm not naïve enough to think that you two aren't sexually active," Wendy replied.

"I wouldn't say active," Rick muttered, knowing they'd decided to wait until they had more time alone, "but we'll get back to that soon."

Drew walked up behind his fiancé and put his arm around his neck, kissing his cheek, "we will."

Rick smiled and nodded, "definitely."

~*~

It wasn't that Drew wanted to leave, but he knew the more time he waited around to go back to work, the harder it would be to leave, so he reluctantly left at the same time their moms headed to the store. He knew Rick was doing okay, Gabby was hanging out with him and Drew knew he'd be with Rick soon, so he settled to look forward to finishing his shift and getting home to his fiancé while he drove back to the hospital.

As Drew walked into the ER, he looked around and could see it was quiet. Surprisingly there was no one in the waiting area, so he moved towards the room he could see Jordan was in and nodded at her, "hey, need any help?"

"Drew, you're back! I thought you'd be a few more hours," she admitted, "I'm good in here. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, things are great. Thanks for letting me take a few hours," he smiled.

"No problem. I figured out why Scott told me. I'm glad to hear things are going well," she told him.

"Me, too," Drew replied, just as he noticed paramedics bringing in a patient, so he stepped up to get to work.

~*~

**Friday**

For the next few hours, Drew and the rest of the ER staff took care of patients as they came in; a few minor traumas and some the with the usual 'cold and flu' symptoms. With the slower pace, everyone was able to keep up with charts and other important paperwork details, so they didn't get behind, just in case something major happened.

It was finally around three-am when Drew took a break to get some coffee and Krista found him sitting outside by the food trucks, "hey, Drew, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright. How's your night?" He asked, sipping the iced coffee; it was a warm night and he wasn't up for anything hot to drink.

"The same," she admitted, "did Rick get settled at your place?" She wondered, already knowing Rick had been discharged; she'd sent Drew a text message when he wasn't there to start their shift, before anyone else began to wonder where he was.

"Yeah," Drew smiled, "he did... And when we got home, we found my mom was there."

"What?" Krista gasped, "how did she take everything?"

"Really well," Drew admitted, "she's known about me being gay for a while, so you and TC weren't the first people to know, but no one else in my family knows," he explained, "I'd never actually told her who I was dating, but she figured it out and became friends with Rick's mom on Facebook, so when Terry told my mom about what happened, my mom drove down here from New Mexico to meet us, so they could tell us in person that they knew each other."

"Oh wow! That must have been awkward," Krista replied.

"Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad, more confusing," he admitted, "but once they explained, it made sense. She was glad to finally meet Rick and when I told her were engaged, she was happy for us."

"I'm glad you have your mom's support, and Rick's mom and sister's," Krista smiled.

"Me, too. I just hope they realize that Rick and I want some privacy, at times. Don't get me wrong, we love them, and we appreciate they're here, but he just got home. We just came out. I want some time with my boyf... fiancé," he blushed, still not completely used to calling him his fiancé.

"I'm sure they will," Krista assured him, patting his hand, "his mom and sister are probably as excited as you are to have him home and if your mom just met him, I'm sure she'd like to get to know him. Give them some time."

Drew nodded in agreement as they stood up and began to head back into the ER, since their break was almost over, "yeah, I know. I just hope they're not driving him crazy."

~*~

Surprisingly the rest of the shift went smoother than expected; no major traumatic accidents came up, so they saw their usual patients, sick, minor or random accidents, along with some of the weirdos and drunks.

When seven-am rolled around, Drew was happy that he had been able to keep his charts caught-up during the shift, so he was able to get off on time, something that wouldn't always happen, but he'd take a 'win' where he could.

Without even changing, Drew gathered up his stuff and headed out of the hospital, into the early San Antonio morning. He had a stop to make before he could get home, so he headed to the place where he and Rick usually got their prescriptions and waited around for his antibiotics and pain meds to be filled, glad the place also had medical supplies, so he was able to get crutches with the other prescription Scott had written and some wound care supplies. No one questioned what he was doing, since he was dressed in scrubs and had a 'Doctor' badge on from San Antonio Memorial Hospital.

While he as getting things, he had sent a text to Rick, but hadn't heard anything back. He figured Rick was asleep, so he wasn't too concerned and after almost an hour, he had everything he needed and was on his way home. When he arrived, he found his mom's car was parked along the street and Gabby and Terry's rental was in the driveway, so he parked behind it, gathered everything up and headed inside.

As he opened the front door, he could hear things going on in the kitchen and glanced around, curious if Rick was up, "morning!" He called out, dropping his bag and purchases by the couch and closed the door.

"Morning, sweetheart!" Wendy called from the kitchen.

Drew could easily smell breakfast cooking and smiled, moving towards the room he hardly used when he was alone and found Gabby, Terry and Wendy moving around the kitchen, "smells good," he smiled, "not something that happens around here often," he admitted, seeing them working on a few things at the stove.

"Well, we thought we'd have breakfast together. I didn't know if you liked to go to bed right as soon as you got home, but you can eat and then go to bed if you'd like," Wendy admitted.

"That sounds good," Drew smiled, "where's Rick?"

"Bed," Terry replied, "he said he didn't sleep well during the night, so would join us for breakfast and then go to sleep when you did."

Drew nodded, unable to resist smiling happily to hear he'd get a chance to actually sleep with Rick for the first time in months. Without saying anything, Drew moved down the hallway to their room and pushed the door open quietly, seeing Rick stretched out on his side, back to the door, his head on a pillow and one of his hands resting on the side of the bed where Drew would be sleeping, the comforter folded up at the end of the bed with only a sheet covering him from the waist down. Kicking off his shoes and emptying his pockets, Drew stripped down to his briefs and grabbed a pair of sweats from his dresser, in case they got interrupted again and put them on quickly. Tossing on a sleeveless shirt, Drew moved to the bed, pulled the sheet back and while gently lifting Rick's arm, he slid in next to him.

At the movement, Rick stirred from the light sleep he'd been in and smiled when he saw Drew laying down, but decided to tease him a bit, "better be careful. My fiancé will be home soon and I don't think he'd be very happy if he found me in bed with some strange guy," he murmured, letting his eyes remain closed.

"Oh is that right?" Drew smirked, playing along briefly, and turned to nudge Rick onto his back and pushed himself up a little to hover over him, "then we should be quick," he winked, straddling his hips and leaning over to press a kiss to his lips.

Rick sat up a little and continued Drew's kiss, wrapping his arms around Drew's body, "quick is the last thing I want to be, babe," Rick admitted, not wanting to joke with him anymore and turned them so Drew took the hint and laid on his back. Once he got settled, Rick moved the rest of the way until he was straddling Drew's hips, being careful with his leg.

"Good morning," Drew smiled, reaching up to run his hands along Rick's sides.

"Morning," he murmured, "I'm so glad you're home."

"I could tell," Drew winked, feeling both of them reacting to being so close, "I love that I can come home to you."

"I love that, too," Rick agreed, then eyed him, "but you left me in the estrogen ocean last night!"

Drew laughed, "what?"

"Oh my God!" Rick sighed, moving off Drew to lay next to him, "our moms have practically planned out our entire wedding," he admitted, rolling to his side as Drew raised a curious eyebrow, "I'm serious! I put a stop to it when they started talking about what our vows would be!" He draped an arm over Drew's chest and rested his chin on Drew's shoulder, "can't we just enjoy being engaged first before we do that?"

"Of course we can," Drew replied, shifting to hug his fiancé, "just take what they say and put it in the back of your mind. We _are_ going to plan _our_ wedding," Drew told him, "and as much as I'd love to stay here, breakfast smells really good and we can sleep afterward. How come you didn't sleep?" Drew asked, "your mom said you didn't get much."

"You're not the only one who has bad dreams," Rick replied, remembering how Drew had called him the day before, "and I was looking forward to this," he admitted, his hand now resting on Drew's chest.

Drew smiled and took his hand in his, "I have been, too. How's your leg?"

"It's alright. Sore, but it's not bad most of the time. I do get some stronger pain once and a while, though," Rick explained, reluctantly sitting up, "but I don't want to take the prescription ones, which I know you got filled this morning."

As he sat up, Drew reached out and rubbed Rick's back, "yeah, I did. It doesn't hurt to have them here, just in case, but I get what you're saying," he agreed, "I can't imagine the pain you're in, but I do know what had to happen, so I have a good idea how bad it could hurt. I just want you to be out of pain, so you should take them at times, but I'm not going to force you."

Rick turned around and looked at Drew, "if it's really bad, I'll take one, but I don't want to. If you weren't a doctor, I'd say 'you have no idea what the hell I'm feeling', but I believe you get it. Doesn't mean I won't snap at you at some point, though. Sorry in advance."

Drew sat up and crawled towards Rick, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, and wrapped his arms around his fiancé from behind, "I'm not gonna lie, it's not gonna be easy and I expect you to get pissed. We may argue and you may have tough times, but I'm here. I'm not going anywhere and you will always be the man I fell in love with. Nothing can change that," he assured him.

Leaning back against Drew's chest, Rick smiled happily, "I love you. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. That's what partners are for and I love you, too, just promise me a few things," Drew asked softly, some things having been on his mind since all this happened.

"I'll try. What are they?" Rick asked.

"No matter how pissed we get at each other, we take some time to cool off and make up," Drew admitted and when Rick nodded, he continued, "another hope is no physical fighting in anger. We're both trained to fight and we've trained together, but there is nothing that could happen or be said that would warrant either of us to hurt each other just because we're pissed," Drew bit his lip at the last concern he had that he wanted to get off his chest, "and no threats of leaving or breaking up. You're the love of my life and I'm not letting go, ever."

Rick listened to Drew's concerns and while he was surprised they were coming up, he wouldn't deny they hadn't been on his mind, too, "I will _never_ hit you in anger," Rick promised, turning to look at his fiancé, "and I'm right where I want to be. I'm with you. I'm not letting go and no matter how pissed I get, how upset or frustrated I get, I will always love you, Drew. I'm not leaving and I _know_ I would _never_ joke about something like that." Resting his hand on Drew's cheek, Rick smiled, "couples argue. It's normal, but we'll make up, I promise."

Drew smiled at him and leaned into his touch, relieved he didn't get upset for bringing his concerns up and decided to let it settle, "I promise you the same things."

~*~

Breakfast was enjoyable. Rick was happy to finally have a home cooked meal. Since getting home, he'd been in the hospital and while the food there had been slightly better than the food he had while deployed, a true home cooked meal was even better, especially surrounded by his mom, sister, his fiancé and soon-to-be mother-in-law.

Rick was thankful their moms didn't bring up their conversation from the night before and since the three women had slept during the night, they were going to go do some sightseeing in San Antonio while the guys were sleeping, and Drew suggested a few places he knew of that weren't 'tourist traps', but still showed the history of San Antonio.

When breakfast was finally over and the leftover food was put away, they all pitched in to do the dishes, Rick having to relearn where Drew kept things, because it had been so long since he'd spent time in Drew's kitchen, and soon the three women were getting ready to go.

"Are you sure you guys are okay?" Terry asked, looking at them, "we don't have to go, but we don't want to make noise while you're sleeping."

"We'll be fine," Drew assured them, "go enjoy the day. Looks like it's going to be nice. Thank you for being here, but you don't have to be here all the time."

Rick nodded in agreement and after a moment the two moms and Rick's sister were hugging the guys and heading out to go spend the day in town.

Once the door was shut, Drew and Rick watched until Wendy's car pulled away and they were sure they were gone, before they said anything, "how long are they going to be gone, do you think?" Rick wondered.

Drew walked to lock the door, leaning back against it and smiled at his fiancé, "hopefully a while, because we have _plans_."

~*~

A/N4: I hope you all enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you think! To those of you who are reviewing as anons, a big thank you for all your wonderful messages! I wish I could reply to you all! To those of you signing reviews, I will reply as soon as I can! Thank you all so much for the love for this story and my writing! I'm really glad you're enjoying it and I hope you continue to! I have many things planed for Drew and Rick!

A/N5: In case you're curious, yes, I will be covering the events of the last two episodes of the season, but it will be from Drew's point-of-view, so I hope that's okay!

A/N6: The last few weeks have been pretty hectic, so my writing has been cut extra short. I still have quite a bit written, so I decided in the little free time I have had, I'd edit this chapter, instead of writing more, for now, but I'll get back to writing soon. Again, thank you all for the love and support! It really means the world to me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick cracks a little

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Underlined text: quotes from episode '1x06 - Coming Home' - I don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

**Friday Night**

Drew was happy when he walked into the ER for his last shift before a weekend off. He'd had an amazing afternoon with his fiancé, but he couldn't pick which part made it the best. He just knew it finally felt like Rick was home and even with the major change in their life, he was confident they'd face it together.

It was about thirty minutes before his shift started, so he headed into the doctor's locker room and grabbed a clean pair of scrubs, finding Jordan and Paul in there, dressed for their shift and digging in their lockers.

"Hey, everyone," Drew greeted casually, sipping on his thermos of coffee he'd made before he left home, as he tugged open his locker.

"Hey, Drew! How are you? How's Rick?" Jordan asked.

"I'm alright. Rick's doing really well, all things considered," Drew smiled, "thanks for asking."

"No problem," Jordan smiled, "I haven't had a lot of time to talk to you one-on-one, but I'd like to sometime, if that would be alright."

"Uh, should I be worried?" Drew asked, stuffing his backpack into his locker.

"Oh, no," she shook her head, "nothing like that. I just wanted to talk to you. We are still friends."

"Very true," Drew smiled, "and yeah, we haven't talked too much recently. I figured you were still pissed at me for hurting my hand during that fight."

Jordan laughed and shook her head, "I was pissed, but you've healed," she replied, "so I'm over it... You have healed, right?"

"I have," Drew held up the hand he'd hurt and made a fist and moved his wrist around, "see."

"Good to know," she smiled, grabbing her stethoscope and badge, "you still training?"

Drew was silent for a long moment, "we'll see."

"You seemed pretty sure you'd keep that up, because it was a good form of mental therapy, what changed your..." She paused, "oh!"

"Uh, I don't get it. Sorry, I don't mean to be eavesdropping, but I couldn't help, since I'm standing right here," Paul motioned to where his locker was, in relation to Jordan and Drew's.

Drew took his shirt off and left his undershirt on and slipped into his scrub top, "don't worry about it, Paul," Drew replied, grabbing his badge from his bag, "I got hurt after my last fight, so I decided I would continue training, but not get into any other fights," Drew explained, looking for his stethoscope.

"Why? If you're not going to fight, then why train?" Paul asked.

"I'm still in the military, so I have to keep in shape, but training keeps me grounded, in a way, and it's good to connect with other guys who have been through similar things, so we can relate," Drew told him.

Paul nodded in understanding, "okay, that makes sense, so I'm with Jordan, what changed?"

Drew kicked off his shoes, "whenever Rick's home, we train together. He's home, so it doesn't feel right to train without him. I haven't figured anything out or talked to him about it, but for now, training is the last thing on my mind."

"Which is completely understandable," Jordan replied, "if either of you ever need anything, let me know, okay? I'll try to help."

"Thanks," Drew smiled, "we appreciate that."

~*~

Krista arrived just as Drew finished getting ready for his shift and she definitely seemed to be in a rush, "where's the fire?" Drew wondered curiously.

With a groan, she sighed, "I was in a hurry to get here," she replied, opening her locker and stuffing her bag into it, "my friend from school called and we got talking. Next thing I know it's six-thirty and I had nothing done. I just barely had time to brush my hair," she ran her hand through her hair and looked down at her clothes, "at least I remembered to put clothes on."

Drew laughed lightly and headed for the door, "yeah, good thing."

"You don't have to leave," she reached out and touched his arm, "how was _your_ day?" She asked with a grin.

Pausing, Drew leaned against the bank of lockers he was nearby and smiled, "it was really nice. Finally feels like Rick's home," he admitted. "Our moms and his sister went out after breakfast, so we had the day alone."

"Alone, huh?" She asked, changing into a clean scrub top, grinning, "just how _nice_ was it?"

Drew eyed her and shook his head. Pushing off the lockers, he moved towards the door, "not going there, Krista, not going there."

"What? Come on, I won't ask details, but I'd at least like to know if things between you two are good," she replied before he got too far away.

"Rick and I are great," Drew assured her with a smile.

Krista smiled and nodded, "good."

~*~

**Saturday, July 26, 2014**

The shift began as usual, but it didn't get too hectic until after midnight, making Saturday morning extra busy. There were two car accidents that came in, on top of the other patients and an emergency came up that sent Topher and TC into the field, leaving Jordan and Drew as the senior doctors in the ER; Jordan an attending and Drew being a second year resident.

Drew had finished his coffee hours prior and he could easily feel the caffeine wearing off, but he'd been so busy, he hadn't had a chance to get a refill. He also hadn't been able to really look at his phone since he'd started his shift. Usually at work, it wasn't often he shared messages with anyone so late at night, but he would try to get a few replied to that people had sent during the day, some from friends, Army buddies, or family, when they'd message him. Now that Rick was home, he hoped he could share texts with him, but he still hadn't figured out just how Rick would arrange his sleep schedule.

Finally, with a break from patients around five-forty-five-am, Drew grabbed his empty thermos and went outside to the food trucks to get some coffee, before taking a seat at an empty table, which is when he pulled out his phone. Going right into his messages, he smiled when he saw one from Rick. It was from an hour prior, so he opened it to read.

**Rick:** I'm sure you're busy, but I wanted to say 'hey' and let you know I'm thinking about you. Definitely missed being able to text you regularly. Love ya!

Drew smiled and quickly typed a reply.

**Drew:** Hey! I missed the same thing and you're always on my mind! :) Love ya, back! Can't wait to get home! Been a busy night.

As he sent the message, he slid his phone back into his pocket and settled into his chair, before feeling a hand on his shoulder. Turning to see Krista, he smiled, "hey."

"Hey, you look tired," she admitted.

"Maybe a little," he agreed, motioning to his coffee, "caffeine was wearing off," he replied, rubbing his face with his hands, "I think the week is finally catching up to me."

Krista reached over and rubbed his shoulder, "I know, but you've got two days off. Spend it with Rick and recharge."

Drew nodded and smiled, "yeah, that's the plan."

Looking over Drew's shoulder, Krista happened to notice Rick and his sister walking towards them, but when he held up his index finger to his lips, Krista took the hint to stay quiet, but she smiled as she sipped her coffee.

Coming up right behind Drew, Rick cleared his throat, "I thought you'd had a busy shift, yet I find you sitting around drinking coffee," Rick smirked.

Drew jumped up at the familiar voice and turned to face his fiancé, "Rick, what are you doing here?" He asked, his mind immediately going to an emergency, "is everything alright? Are you okay? Is your leg bothering you?"

"I'm fine," Rick quickly said, waving off his fiancé, "relax."

"So what are you doing here?" Drew asked curiously.

"Dr. De La Cruz called just after you left last night and asked me to stop in," Rick admitted, "she had wanted to talk before I was discharged, but since it happened earlier than expected, she didn't get a chance to. I figured I could come in before your shift was over and go home with you," he shrugged, "if that's alright."

"Yeah, that's totally fine," Drew nodded, eyeing him, "you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, _dad_ ," Rick rolled his eyes, smirking a little.

Gabby and Krista laughed at the two, especially when Drew shook his head and couldn't help a light blush grow on his cheeks, "hey, after everything that's gone on, forgive me for being a little overprotective," Drew replied, grabbing his thermos.

"I'll give you that one," Rick agreed, turning to his sister, "thanks for the ride, sis. You good getting back to our place?"

"Yeah, I remember where I'm going," Gabby nodded, "I don't mind sticking around if you want me to."

"Thanks, but it's cool. I'll come home with Drew," Rick replied, getting a nod from Drew in agreement.

Gabby nodded and after sharing a hug with Drew and Rick, and waving at Krista, she promised her brother she'd text him when she got back, and then left him with the two doctors.

"How are you doing, Rick?" Krista asked, as the three of them began to walk towards the entrance of the ER.

"As good as can be expected. It's nice to finally be home," he replied, keeping up with the two of them, "I'm still getting used to everything, though, but I'm glad I have upper body strength."

Krista nodded in understanding, "I can't imagine what you're going through, but I'm really glad you were here when it happened."

"Me, too. I don't think I could have gone through this if I had been deployed when it happened," Rick admitted, looking at Drew.

Drew swallowed nervously as they reached the nurse's station and shook his head, "I don't even want to think about that," he muttered, glancing around for Landry, and noticed Molly sitting at the desk.

Before Drew could say anything to her, she stood up and raised a curious eyebrow at him, "what? You just going to stand there or are you going to introduce the reason why you never called my niece?" She teased, seeing he was a little nervous to be standing near her.

Taking a deep breath, Drew looked at Rick, "Rick, this is Molly. Molly this is my fiancé Rick," Drew replied, glancing at her, "and I've apologized!"

"I know and I get it now. Like I said, I'm glad you quit hiding," Molly replied, turning to Rick, "it's nice to meet you. Glad to see you're up and about."

"You as well," Rick nodded at her, "and thanks. Sorry he kinda led you on."

Molly waved off his apology and shook her head, "don't worry about it."

Just as Drew was about to say something else, Landry walked up to them, "Captain Lincoln, nice to see you again."

"You can call me Rick," he replied nodding at her, "and nice to see you, too."

The woman smiled, "okay, Rick. Are you ready? Do you want Drew to join us?" She asked, looking between the two men.

"Anything I say, I'll say in front of him, so if he can get away, great, if not, he doesn't have to," Rick replied.

Before anyone could answer, an ambulance pulled up outside. The other doctors were tied up with patients, so Drew looked at Rick, "I'd love to, but I'm still working. We'll talk later, okay?"

Rick nodded, "sounds good."

The paramedics wheeled in a patient, already spouting information about their condition and Drew, Krista and Molly jumped forward, since they were right there and began calling out stats as the gurney was taken into the nearest trauma room.

For a moment, Rick proudly watched Drew taking charge as a doctor, something he'd never seen before. Years prior, he'd seen him work as a Combat Medic, but never as a doctor, since he'd been deployed the entire time he'd been working at SAMH. When Landry asked him to walk with her, he pulled his eyes away and followed her down the hallway to a quiet exam room where they could talk.

"I'm glad to see you're already up on crutches," Landry started, as she closed the door behind him and motioned for him to take a seat in a chair by the door.

"I don't do well sitting around," Rick admitted.

The woman nodded, "most guys your age feel the same way," she replied, taking a seat across from him. "How are you doing?" She asked, "are you settling in well at your place?"

"I'm not at 'my' place. I had an apartment on the second story of a building with no elevator, so I'm at Drew's," he explained, "but it's kinda turned into our place. We're moving in together," he smiled. "Things are good. I mean, sure, it's taking some getting used to, but like I told them while I was here in the hospital, I've broken my leg in the past, so I've used crutches before. Getting dressed was weird with only one foot, though."

"How do you feel about yourself? When you were in the ER the other night, you seemed to feel like no one would see you the same way again. Do you still feel that way?" Landry wondered.

Rick took a deep breath and shrugged, "not really, but in a way, yeah. I can't help feeling like people are always looking at my missing leg and not always me. Then I start getting self-conscious. I know it's only been a few days and this is the first time I've really been out since Dr. Clemmens released me from the hospital, but I had that in the back of my mind while we were standing out in the ER," he motioned towards the nurses station where they'd been just prior.

"That's normal. Some amputees have become self-conscious and pull away from daily life because of it. I don't know you extremely well, but I don't think you'd do that," she admitted.

"I want my life back," he replied honestly, "I just have to deal with this first."

"Do you feel like you have to deal with this alone?" She asked, knowing Drew was supporting him, but saying it didn't always mean the person believed it.

"No," he shook his head, cracking a light smile, "I know Drew's got my back. I believe him when he says that. My mom and sister, too. Even his mom came down to help out. She's the only person of Drew's family who knows he's gay, but he never talked about me to her. She figured it out and she and my mom got to be friends online," he smirked. "We don't really need help, but we're glad they're here," he paused, taking a deep breath, "my unit," he sighed, "that's a tough one. I'm sure they will support me, but I don't think they'll be my soldiers anymore. It may be a while before I can go back, and even if I can, I don't know if I want to."

"Why wouldn't you? If you made a full recovery and were able to run and exercise and meet the military standards with a prosthetic, why wouldn't you go back?" She asked, curious about what he was getting at.

"I've done four tours already and this was going to be my last one for a while. I was hoping Drew and I could put some more focus on our relationship," Rick admitted.

Landry nodded in understanding, "so is this why you got engaged? Because of this, or was it something else?"

"When I left here fourteen months ago, we had a brief layover in London. That's when I got it. It was always my plan to propose to him the day I got home and that's why I asked him when I did. I knew he didn't know anything about it, but it, in a way, was my inspiration to get home, so I could give it to him," Rick smiled at the thought, "so it's not just because of what happened, but now I'm wondering if subconsciously I knew something would happen, even if I didn't really know," he paused, rubbing his neck nervously, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

"Do you believe that things happen for a reason and God has a plan for all of us, even if we don't know what it is?" Rick asked, "sorry, I know that's a religious question, and I'm not super religious, but I do believe in God."

"It's okay," she smiled, "I know what you're getting at and I do believe in fate. May I ask what you mean specifically?"

"I've had a thought that maybe this was the plan all the along. Like, it was a sign that I needed to look at my life again and see just what I want out of it and not just let the military control me," he admitted.

"I see. Have you thought about what you'd like?" She wondered.

Rick smiled, "Drew and I decided we want to have kids," he told her, "I've been active duty since I joined the military, but he's been reserves since he went to medical school. Once he's done with his residency, he's got at least ten years in the Army and he may join the Rangers; he's on the fence with that still, but now I'm thinking maybe it's time for me to get out of the Army and be a military spouse for a while. The military recognizes same-sex marriages now, so I know there wouldn't be any problem with me going with Drew if he ended up being based out of another place, but that's still a ways off and I know we have a lot to talk and think about, but it's on my mind."

"It's very possible that this is a sign," she agreed. "For what, I'm not sure, but what I have seen is that what happened gave you both a reason to come out and be public about your relationship. I can imagine you both had reservations about that and now that it's out in the open, more paths are available to you both now that you're public," she paused, "I also think that you and Drew would make great parents. You both have a very warm and caring spirit and I see the connection you have. I figured it out way before you asked me if I knew what was going on, when you were down in the ER. You guys didn't even have to touch for me to know."

"Really?" Rick smiled, "we have that?" He was silent for a moment and looked at her, "maybe that's the reason why every time I see him, I just feel like nothing else matters."

"I can definitely tell you're in true love and you're finally home with your other half. You're not separated by thousands of miles and limited contact," she told him, "so that could definitely be a reason," she agreed, smiling.

~*~

Rick and Landry continued to talk until just before seven. She was happy to see things were going so well, thus far, and offered to be an extra set of ears if he or Drew ever wanted to talk or needed help dealing with something that was upsetting them. Rick thanked her for the offer and soon the two were leaving the room and returning to the nurse's station. Drew was standing at it writing in a chart and looked up when Rick appeared in his peripheral vision, "hey. I'm almost done with my patient. You good?"

"Yep. No cobwebs," Rick laughed, "take your time. I'm cool waiting. You're worth it."

Drew smiled, continuing to write in the chart, "hey, Kenny, have I gotten the lab results on my patient yet?" He asked, flipping through the various papers in the chart.

"Uh," Kenny got up and moved to look in the fax machine and found them sitting on it, "Looks like they just got here," Kenny replied, handing them over, "hey, Rick. How you doing, man?" He asked, holding out his hand.

Rick reached out and shook Kenny's hand, "doing alright."

"I'm glad to see you up and around on crutches," Kenny replied.

"Thanks and it's nice to see you guys when I'm not the patient," Rick replied.

"Tell me about it," Drew muttered, his eyes still on the paperwork in front of him, "I could do without that happening again."

"Agreed," Rick nodded as the phone rang next to them.

Kenny reached to grab it, "San Antonio Memorial Hospital, Emergency Department," he started, "got it... two hikers? Okay... Is the chopper on the way? Do you know the status of either of them?" Kenny listened to the caller, "alright, I'll find docs to be ready when the chopper gets here," Kenny hung up the phone and looked at Drew, "you up for a field-trip?" He asked, looking into the exam room Jordan was in, "Jordan! Chopper's on the way. We need doctors. There's two hikers hurt up in Government Canyon Park."

"I got it! Can I take Drew?" TC called out from another room.

"Shift's almost over, so that's gonna be up to him. Just don't take forever, I don't know how much overtime Ragosa is gonna be open to covering," Jordan replied, walking up to the nurse's station.

"I wasn't asking you," TC commented, taking the med-kit that Kenny handed him with a Med-Evac jacket, "I was asking Rick," TC added, looking at the taller soldier.

"Me? I don't mind," Rick shrugged, "though I think it's up to him, not me."

Drew had looked at Kenny, Jordan, TC and Rick, each time trying to say something about going, but they all started talking before he could. When Rick looked at him, he finally smirked, "I'll go, as long as you don't mind hanging out here until I get back."

"I can take you home," Kenny replied, "no need for you to be stuck around here for a while."

"Okay. Thanks, Kenny," Rick replied, nodding at his fiancé as the propeller noise began to get louder as it got closer to the hospital.

Drew nodded and took the second Med-Evac jacket Kenny was holding out, "thanks," he nodded, then closed the chart he'd been looking at and handed it to Jordan, "can you take care of this patient for me?" He asked and at her nod, he slipped his arms into the jacket and looked at his fiancé, "I'll see you at home in a few hours."

"See ya then," Rick nodded, "be careful."

With a smile, Drew nodded and began to step away from the counter, "always am."

TC was standing by the exit, waiting for Drew, but when he joined him, he smirked, "what? That's it?"

"What are you talking about?" Drew asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"All you're gonna do is say 'see ya later'? I may not have the best skills in the relationship department, as I'm sure Jordan and Topher can agree, but even I know what should have happened," TC commented and at Drew's continual look of confusion, the former Ranger put his hands on Drew's shoulders and guided him back towards Rick, "kiss your fiancé."

Rick had caught on to what TC was saying a lot sooner than Drew had, but was going to let Drew be the one to do what he was comfortable with; it was his coworkers he was around.

Drew's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, his eyes darting around the room to see more of his coworkers standing around, not really paying attention to them, but they were there. Realizing everyone already knew he was gay and that they were engaged, he quickly pushed aside his nerves and stepped up to Rick, "should have done this anyway," he admitted, leaning in to press a kiss to Rick's lips.

The soldier happily responded to the kiss, but didn't let it linger too long, hearing a few cat calls coming from various directions nearby, "it's okay. When you're ready," Rick replied softly.

"I'm ready," Drew confirmed as they pulled apart. The helicopter could be heard outside and Drew knew he had to go, "love you," he waved, before finally stepping away from Rick.

"You, too," Rick replied, seeing Drew nod, acknowledging he'd heard him, before continuing outside with TC.

Krista walked over to Rick and slid her arm around his, smiling at him, "you two are adorable."

"Not you, too," Rick groaned, "our moms and my sister say the same thing. You know how hard it is to hear 'you're adorable' when you just spent months in a sandpit carrying around sixty pounds of gear and getting shot at? I don't feel adorable."

"You're not over there now," Krista replied, "so get used to it. I know I found out a little randomly, but it's okay to show you care about each other. You don't have to avoid each other out in public."

Rick smirked and glanced at Krista, "maybe not, but we have only been public for a few days. It's gonna take some time to get used to the change. We're more used to avoiding each other or not wanting to draw attention to our relationship," he shrugged, "we know how we feel about each other, so we don't have to always show it. Besides, not everyone we know will be comfortable with it."

"If they're not, they're idiots," Krista commented, "love is love."

"Thanks," Rick smiled lightly, "I'm glad Drew has the support of his friends."

"That's what friends are for," Kenny replied, "I'm gonna go change. If you give me like five minutes, we can leave."

"Sounds good," Rick nodded, "take your time."

Kenny nodded and moved off to the nurse's locker room, leaving Krista, Landry and now Paul, standing with Rick, "so, you and Drew, huh? That's cool. I never would have figured it out, though. He's one hell of a fighter. Have you seen him..." As Paul said that, he quickly remembered the conversation he, Jordan and Drew had before their shift started, "oh, um... Sorry," Paul bit his lip, nervously rubbing his neck.

"Gee, Paul, what are you saying? A gay guy can't be an awesome MMA fighter?" Krista asked, a little pissed that Paul said that.

"No, I don't mean that, I just... Crap," Paul sighed, now even more nervous, "I've never known... I mean..."

Rick laughed lightly and could tell that Paul was nervous to talk to him. He knew a little about Paul from Drew's emails and had a feeling he knew what he was trying to say, "it's alright, Paul," Rick admitted, "we don't fit what most see as stereotypical gay guys and we never will. I'm not surprised you didn't figure it out, but being gay isn't the only thing that defines us. We're also normal guys, who are jocks, have hobbies and who are soldiers. We also happen to prefer men and love each other, too."

"Well said, Rick," Jordan commented, having walked up to drop some paperwork off by where Krista, Paul, Rick and Landry were standing, so she'd heard Paul stumbling around and what Rick said.

"Thanks," Rick smiled, "Jordan, right?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you," she returned his smile and waved, "and welcome home."

Rick nodded and shifted a little, "you, too and thank you. I'm glad to be home," he then looked at Paul, "to answer your question, yes, I've seen him fight. Missed the last one, though. Heard he put his opponent in the ER here," he laughed, "I used to train with him, then I got deployed. Isn't he working with Kenny now?"

"He has been," Krista nodded, her cheeks flushing as she remembered what she'd done after the fight Rick was talking about.

Noticing Krista blushing, Rick immediately knew what caused her reaction, "no hard feelings," he told her honestly, "you didn't know."

"He told you?" She blushed even more, "of course he did... I'm glad you're cool with it, because I don't want you guys thinking I'm still, um... we're just friends, that's all."

"I know," Rick assured her, his phone ringing in his pocket, "excuse me," he muttered, leaning against the desk to pull his phone from his pocket, since he couldn't balance on the crutches and hold his phone. "Oh my God," he sighed, hitting the answer button, "hello mom... I'm fine... I'm still at the hospital... A little while. One of Drew's friends is gonna bring me home... No, Drew just had to fly out to an emergency, so I don't know when he's gonna be back... Okay... Talk to you later," he pulled the phone away and hung up, putting it back in his pocket, "this is going to get really old, really quick."

"What is?" Krista wondered, "is she checking up on you?"

"Yes. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom, but she's really gonna wear me out," he sighed, "and I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"It could be how she's coping with what happened to you," Landry offered, having sat down at the nurse's station to work on a few charts before she got off.

"I know that's why," Rick agreed, "I also think she hates to admit that I can take care of myself. This happened when I first joined the Army, too, and I just gave her time and she calmed down, but with Drew's mom here, too, it's like they're ganging up on us."

"Maybe you two should get away," Krista suggested, "tell your moms you're going away for the weekend and go somewhere."

"It's an option, but I think we're going to spend the weekend with them, in hopes that maybe they'll see we're doing okay and have things under control, so they could leave. They can come back later if things change, but for now, we're good," Rick explained.

"And you've got me and the rest of us around if you guys need anything," Krista added.

"Thanks," Rick smiled, just as Kenny joined them.

"Hey, man, you ready?" Kenny asked, walking up to him.

"Yep. I'll follow you," Rick replied, looking at the others, "see you guys later."

"Later, Rick. Don't be a stranger... as a visitor, not a patient," Landry smiled.

Rick smirked, "I'll try my best!"

~*~

Drew and TC reached the helipad just as the helicopter landed. Ducking to keep from getting caught in the continuously spinning propeller, the two doctors rushed forward as one of the medics inside opened the door and motioned for them to get in. Climbing inside, TC and Drew had just settled when the medic shut the door and immediately the pilot lifted off and headed for the accident site.

Putting on their headsets, so the noise of the motor didn't hurt their ears, and so they could talk, TC glanced at Drew, "been a while since we've gone out on a call together," he commented.

"Yeah, it has been. Usually you and Topher go out. I do like the change of scenery once and a while," Drew smirked, settling back in his seat.

"Sorry about inside," TC motioned back towards the hospital, "I probably shouldn't have pushed you to do that."

"It's okay," Drew waved off his apology, "we just haven't had many opportunities to be public in the past, for many reasons, so it's going to take some getting used to. Neither of us have been too interested in PDAs, but it's nice to know we could hold hands, hug or kiss each other in public and not worry about the wrong person seeing... Though, our marriage won't be recognized here in Texas, so we will still have that on our minds and won't want to draw too much attention to us."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that around us. We all support you guys," TC told him, "I'm happy to see you're happy. You two seem to fit well together."

Drew smiled, "thanks. We do fit well together. We have enough differences that we're not exactly the same. He's got his hobbies and I've got mine, but we enjoy a lot of the same things," Drew explained, seeing the medic and the pilot were not paying attention to what they were talking about, but even if they were, Drew finally didn't care who heard and wasn't worried about anyone in the Army finding out. He was happy, engaged to the man he loves with all of his heart and he wanted the whole world to know.

In the past, when Drew and TC had talked about Drew being gay, all he'd told him was that he had a boyfriend, Rick, who was in the Army and had been deployed for over a year, but he'd never gone into too much detail about their relationship. He'd opened up a little more with Krista, and now that he knew his coworkers supported them, he was a lot more comfortable talking about his and Rick's relationship.

"That's great!" TC smiled at Drew, "I bet you're glad to have him home, from deployment and the hospital."

"Oh yeah. I am. Our moms and his sister went out yesterday while we were getting some sleep. When we got up, we ended up on the couch, playing Call of Duty on XBox for hours. It was fun," Drew smiled, "we're already back to doing things like he never left, so yeah, I'm glad he's finally home."

TC patted Drew on the shoulder, "good. I'm glad you guys can get back to that. Not everyone who comes home can fall back into their usual routines without side-effects of being deployed and away from home for so long," TC admitted, "doesn't sound like Rick has that problem."

"Thus far he's doing well, but I know what you mean," Drew agreed, having been thinking the same thing. It wasn't the first deployment he'd gone through with Rick, and each time he'd returned home in the past, he didn't really have any lingering effects, other than some nightmares or a few flashbacks that came up once and a while, but never serious problems that effected his life, "I'm thankful he's not showing any signs of problems, but if he does, I'll be there for him."

"Rick's lucky to have you," TC told him as they came up on the accident site.

Drew smiled at TC, "thanks. I'm lucky to have him, too."

~*~

When Rick and Kenny reached his SUV, the two got in and Kenny put the crutches into the backseat, before getting into the driver's seat, "thanks for doing this, Kenny," Rick commented, as he buckled his belt.

"It's no problem. Drew's a good friend and I admit I'm still a little shocked, but I'm cool with you guys together. I didn't expect it, that's all," Kenny replied as he got ready and pulled out of the parking space.

"I'm sure it was a shock," Rick agreed, "sorry you had to find out that way."

"It's okay. You don't have anything to apologize for," Kenny waved off his words, "it's all good. I'm happy you guys are happy."

Rick smiled, "thanks."

~*~

During the short trip from the hospital to Drew and Rick's place, Kenny and Rick talked lightly about random things until they pulled up to the place. "Would you like to come in for coffee or something?" Rick asked, "least I could to do to say 'thanks'."

"Uh, sure, if you don't mind. Looks like you have company," Kenny nodded towards the car in the driveway and the one by the curb.

"It's our moms and my sister," Rick admitted, "you're welcome to join us."

"Okay, cool," Kenny nodded. He didn't have anywhere to go and even though he was still surprised that Drew had kept things a secret, as a friend, Kenny wanted to get to know the person Drew was seeing.

With Kenny's help to get his crutches, Rick got out of the SUV and Kenny followed him towards the front door. Rick pushed the door open and could hear the kitchen busy already, finding his sister on the couch, still dressed in the pajamas she'd had on when she took him to the hospital earlier in the morning, flannel pants and a t-shirt. She'd been staying with them, giving the moms a chance to stay at Rick's place.

After the initial introductions to his sister, Rick moved into the kitchen to find their moms were making breakfast again. He quickly introduced Kenny and the moms welcomed him and got both guys to sit down, giving them coffee and talking about their morning. They learned that Kenny was friends with Drew and had been one to help him train while Rick had been gone. Kenny also admitted he and Drew were two of the jokers around the hospital, which lead Kenny to telling them stories of some of the jokes or pranks they'd played on coworkers since Drew had been there.

~*~

It was after nine-am when the front door opened and Drew walked in. The emergency had been pretty hectic. One patient, a woman, had a dislocated shoulder, but her husband had pushed her out of the way from a rock slide and he got caught under some larger boulders. With the chest trauma he'd suffered, they needed doctors on site to take care of him, because they were having a hard time getting the boulders off and the movement was making things worse.

  
TC and Drew were able to stabilize the guy and give him some pain medication so they could remove the rocks pinning him down, which took longer than expected, so they didn't get back to the hospital until after eight-thirty. After everything, Drew showered and changed at work, before he finally was able to head home, surprised to see Kenny's car in the driveway; he'd messaged Rick to let him know when he was leaving the hospital, but Rick never said anything about Kenny still being there in his response.

Inside, Drew heard everyone in the kitchen and when he joined them, they were all sitting around the table, just getting breakfast served up. Drew quickly greeted them and sat down next to Rick to eat, happy to see they'd waited for him, though he wasn't expecting them to.

It was easy to see that Drew and Kenny were both feeling the effects of being up all night at work, so after breakfast, as much as Kenny didn't want to eat and run, he thanked them for breakfast and headed home.

Rick headed off to the bedroom to prop his leg up, while Drew walked Wendy, Terry and Gabby out. They were going shopping, because they knew the guys would be sleeping for a few hours and didn't want to wake them.

When Drew walked into the door of their room, he froze, concern building at what he saw.

The blankets had been pulled back and Rick was sitting on the bed, red faced, his hands in fists and was biting his lip, tears building in his eyes as he panted heavily and tried to take deep breaths.

"Oh, God, Rick, what's wrong?" Drew asked, rushing forward and dropping to his knees in front of him, "talk to me!" He begged, his hand reaching up to rest on Rick's cheek.

"I can't..." Rick choked out, unable to get anything else out.

"You can't what? Talk to me? Yes you can! I'm here," Drew assured him.

"I know that!" Rick bit out, a little harsher than he meant it, but his pain had been building for the last few hours and he had been doing his best to hide it from everyone. He definitely didn't want them to freak out, "not what I meant. I'm in pain!" He tried to take a deep breath and reluctantly let a few tears fall, "I didn't want them to see me this way!"

Drew reached over to the prescription bottle on the bed-side table and realized there were still a bunch of pills in it, so he wasn't taking them regularly, "when was the last time you took any of these?"

"I don't know, like yesterday," he hissed, "I don't want to take them!"

"Why?" Drew asked, "they'll help."

"I knew someone who got addicted to pain killers," Rick replied, for the first time truly admitting why he didn't want to take the heavy medication, "I swore if I ever had to take them, I'd fight my hardest not to."

Shifting to sit next to his fiancé, Drew wrapped his arms around him, "remember what I said in the ER when we first had a chance to be alone?"

"No," Rick admitted, only remembering he'd been in a drug haze from it.

"I said 'you gotta trust me' and 'I'm watching out for you'," Drew told him, "and I meant it. I'm not gonna let that happen."

Rick cracked a light smile at Drew's words and closed his eyes as he leaned into him, his own arms wrapping around Drew's body as he rested his head on his chest, "I'm scared," Rick choked out.

Drew gently rubbed Rick's back, fighting his own emotions, "I am, too," Drew agreed, leaning back a little to look at Rick, "how long have you been hiding the pain?" He asked, realizing he hadn't just started.

"Since I stopped taking the morphine at the hospital," he replied softly.

"Oh, Rick," Drew sighed, "I wish I had some other way of taking the pain away," he admitted honestly, "I know it's not what you want to hear, but the only way for it to go away right now is to take the pills," he murmured, "I feel so helpless."

Rick tightened his arms around Drew and shook his head, "don't. This is helping," he replied softly, "I just wish I wasn't in pain," he paused and looked at the bottle of pain meds that Drew had left sitting on the bed, picking it up in his hand. "Stay with me," he looked at Drew and at the confused look, Rick explained, "I won't take these without you around. I hate putting you in this position, but you're my rock, you always have been, but right now, even more."

Drew brushed his hand over Rick's cheek and smiled, "I'm right here and I always will be, Rick," Drew gently closed Rick's hand around the pill bottle and held his hand with his, "right here," he said again, "promise."

Taking a deep breath, Rick nodded and shifted a little, popping open the bottle, taking one pill out and holding it in his hand, "can you go get me some water?" He asked, reaching to set the bottle back on the nightstand.

"Of course," Drew nodded and got up, moving to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and returned moments later, handing it to his fiancé.

Rick took the bottle and cracked it open, "thanks," he whispered, eyeing the white pill in his hand, "I guess I'm gonna have to get over this. If I don't take them, it's gonna be harder to heal, huh?"

"Yeah. I hate that you have to take them, but it's gonna be hard to do anything if you're in pain. I can't believe you've been hiding the pain that long and never said anything," Drew admitted, taking his shirt off and tossing it to the dirty clothes basket, "then again, I know you, so I'm not surprised."

Setting the water down by his pills, Rick nodded, "yeah, I'm a little stubborn."

Drew kicked his shoes off and stepped towards Rick, "a little?" He eyed him curiously and winked, "okay, we'll stick with that, Captain Lincoln."

"Don't even start, Lieutenant. You're just as stubborn," Rick replied, reaching out to wrap his arms around Drew's waist to pull him closer, "and seriously? You have to take your shirt off now?" Rick cracked a smile and looked him over.

"I was thinking it might cheer you up," Drew admitted, resting his hands on Rick's cheeks.

"So tempting," Rick agreed, reaching up to rest his hand on Drew's solid chest, "but to be honest, I'd really love for you to just hold me. You don't know how many nights I went to sleep hoping I was in your arms."

Drew leaned down and pressed his forehead to Rick's, "I think I have a pretty good idea," he agreed, shifting away from him long enough to crawl up on the bed and stretch out, propping himself up on the pillows and holding his arms out for Rick, "I hoped the same thing."

Rick smiled and leaned over to get his shoe off. Ignoring that he still had his clothes on, he moved up and leaned back against Drew's chest and felt his strong arms wrap around him. "I love you, Drew."

Tightening his arms around him, Drew kissed Rick's cheek and smiled, "I love you, too, Rick, with all my heart."

~*~

Drew was the first to wake up a few hours later, seeing it was after two-pm. He and Rick hadn't moved since getting comfortable and just holding his fiancé in his arms gave him a peace he'd missed. Looking at Rick, Drew could also see he was relaxed and much less tense than he had been before they'd laid down.

The doctor part of him wondered if Rick should have stayed in the hospital a few more days, even though the fiancé side loved to have him home. He hated seeing Rick in pain and hoped him cracking earlier was the end of him hiding just how much pain he's in. Drew completely understood wanting to hide the pain from their family and knew the more he healed the less pain he'd be in, but until that happened, Drew hoped Rick would see that he didn't have to keep his pain from everyone, because they all knew he was in pain, if not physically, then emotionally.

" _Okay, Drew, relax. Rick's in pain, yes, but it will lessen soon and he's just dealing with all this and trying to stay strong for everyone else, too. Maybe he figures if he shows us how 'strong' he's being, everyone else can deal with it better. I'm just glad he cracked in front of me. Of all the people around, I would have expected him to hide it from me the most,_ " Drew thought, watching the peaceful smile Rick had on his face as he continued to sleep. His chest evenly rose and fell as he calmly inhaled and exhaled and Drew was actually curious if he was dreaming, because he usually didn't see Rick smiling while he was sleeping.

Before Drew could even process what he was thinking, his phone began to ring and he quickly remembered it was in the pocket of the jeans he still had on, having not bothered to take them off before he and Rick laid down. Reluctantly moving one arm away from his hold on Rick, he dug out his phone and saw it was his mom. "Hey mom," he whispered, hoping he answered it quick enough that it didn't wake Rick.

"Hey, sweetheart. Why are you whispering?" She wondered.

"Because I just woke up and Rick's still asleep next to me," he replied softly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," she replied.

"You didn't wake me up. I've been awake a few minutes. What's up?" He asked, wanting her to get to the point of her call.

"Oh! So we're at Rick's place and we were wondering if there was anything you wanted us to bring over. I'm assuming he'll need clothes, but anything else?"

Drew contemplated waking Rick up, but for a question like that, he decided against it, "Rick and I use most of the same stuff, but yeah, some clothes. We can talk to him later about more. I guess he and I should talk about how, when or if he wants to move all his stuff over here or what we're going to do," Drew admitted, feeling Rick stirring a little and shifting to lay more on his back than on his side like he had been.

"Okay, we'll bring some clothes over when we come in a little while," Wendy replied, "go back to sleep, sweetie."

"Talk to you later," Drew mumbled, ending the call and purposely leaning over Rick to put his phone on the nightstand by the clock, seeing Rick's eyes watching him, "hey, babe," he smiled.

"Nice view to wake up to," Rick returned his smile and reached up to rest his hand on Drew's cheek, "who was that?"

"My mom. They're at your place. Wanted to know if you wanted them to bring anything over. I told them some clothes for now," he told him, leaning in to press a kiss to Rick's lips, "how'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good, actually," Rick admitted, "leg's a little sore, but not near what it was."

Drew nodded, "we should change the dressing. You've been taking your antibiotics, right?"

"Yes, doc, I have been," Rick laughed, motioning to the second bottle of pills on the nightstand, "one pill twice a day for fourteen days."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you," Drew smiled, laying back against the pillows, turning his head to look at Rick who was sharing his pillow.

"I know, but it's not every day I can enjoy the fact that my fiancé is a doctor and I'm allowed to tease you a little," Rick winked, laughing lightly as he looked at Drew.

"Okay, I'll give you that one," Drew rolled onto his side and shifted closer to him, "but being serious, we should shower and get that dressing changed. It's been long enough that you can get your incision wet."

" _We_ should shower?" Rick raised a curious eyebrow at him, "really?"

"Yeah, I mean, someone should keep an eye on you and make sure you don't fall," Drew winked, "and maybe we could find something else to do while we're still alone."

~*~

**Up Next:** A little flashback to how Drew and Rick found out about each other and their first kisses... Yes, that's plural. Confused? It'll be explained next chapter! :)

A/N3: Hope you all enjoyed! Please review and let me know! Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing! It really means so much! I'll respond to the ones I can soon and to those I can't, thank you and I appreciate them a lot! I'm so happy at the positive response my story has gotten and I look forward to continuing; I have a lot planned for Rick and Drew; I hope you all continue to enjoy this story as much as I do! Also sending a huge shout out to nightshiftfanficcommunity on Tumblr! They compile a list of the 'Top 5' Night Shift fics (by favorites) and this time 'Stronger Together' made it to the top position! Lots of love to all of you! I may have written it, but you readers are the ones who got it to the top, so a HUGE thank you for that! :D

A/N4: Since the show didn't give us anything about Rick in the last two episodes, except Kenny saying 'I'm glad he's feeling better' or something like that, I wanted to add a little more Kenny and TC into this, because of the staff at SAMH, Drew seems to be closest to Kenny, TC and now Krista.

A/N5: As I've mentioned before, bone pain is excruciating. It took months for my dad's residual limb to stop hurting completely. That's why I had Rick crack like he did. There's no way he could be just days after the amputation and be only taking Tylenol for pain. It may help, but would not take it away.

To my fans, friends and readers - thank you for your continued love and support! It really means a lot to me!

~*~

**Important Note:** As I post this, my mom is in the ICU. She had a stroke Saturday night (9/20/2014) and had some other things come up during the night that made her condition even worse. Things don't look so good; she's 'very sick, but stable' at the moment on some medications, but things could change either way quickly. I'm letting you all know in case I'm absent from updates for a while. Writing has always been my way to relax and I'll need it now, more than ever, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get time to write, but I don't know what the future will bring. Hopefully with a lot of positive thoughts and prayers we'll pull through this... My dad is currently in a rehab center to get some strength built back up from his recent stay in the hospital, so I've had a rough few weeks. I'm trying to keep updates going on Twitter (I'm EJ8302 on there), so if you'd like to follow, feel free. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. I know many of you already and it means a lot to have such awesome support from you all. Being an only child sucks sometimes, but I love that I have best friends who are my siblings now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick pushes himself a bit and the guys have a flashback to their first kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~

**Saturday, July 26, 2014**

"I know it was a little awkward, but you gotta admit, that shower felt good," Drew commented as the two moved into their room with towels around their waists.

"Yeah, it felt good," Rick agreed, laughing lightly and taking a seat on the bed, "awkward? I wouldn't say that, but if I didn't need help standing right now it would have been a lot easier."

Drew put on a t-shirt from his closet and grabbed one for Rick, before moving back to the bed, sitting next to him and handing it over, "true, but it'll get easier," Drew assured him, "and I kinda like showering together," he added with a grin.

Rick pulled on the shirt and then wrapped and arm around Drew's shoulders, "yeah, the view is amazing," he agreed.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Drew replied, resting his hand on Rick's thigh and leaned towards him a little, "I really don't wanna move, but I know we can't spend all day in bed."

"I know how you feel, but I kinda want to get up and go do something," Rick replied, shrugging.

"So we will. What do you have in mind?" Drew smiled, standing up and moving towards his dresser to get some briefs for them.

Rick was silent for a moment as he took a pair and worked them on, "actually, I wanna go to my place."

Drew raised a curious eyebrow at him, "really? With two flights of stairs to go up? It's only been a few days since your surgery. I'm not against it, but right now?"

"I've been thinking about it," Rick told him, watching Drew put his briefs and jeans on, momentarily getting distracted, "I, um... Oh, well I was remembering that when I broke my leg before, I climbed stairs," he admitted, "I'd need you behind me going up and probably in front of me going down, but I think I could manage. I'm not saying I want to live there. I'm happy to move in here, but I figured I could get some important things and look around and figure out exactly what we need from there and then," he took a deep breath, "maybe while our moms and Gabby are here they could kinda be in charge of packing it up."

Getting a pair of shoes and sitting back down next to Rick, Drew contemplated his words and nodded, "well, I'm not going to say 'no'. If you think you're ready and strong enough to do this, I'm in," Drew promised, putting his shoes on and glanced at Rick, "so while I get the dressing on your leg, text someone and ask them to stay there if they're still there and we'll get ready to go. You don't have to prove anything to me, you know, right? Just promise me if you have any doubts or aren't sure you can handle it, stop and tell me, okay?"

Rick nodded and looked at him, "deal."

~*~

After getting the wound dressed, Drew got some sweats for Rick to put on and while he did, Gabby responded to Rick's text message. She said that they were still at Rick's apartment and she'd keep the moms from wanting to leave before they got there.

It wasn't long before they were in Drew's new Jeep and heading over to Rick's apartment building, "you think I'll ever drive again?" Rick asked, realizing his right leg, the one most commonly used in driving an automatic transmission, was the one he was missing.

"When you get a prosthetic, I'm sure it's something that could be possible, but I don't know," Drew admitted honestly.

Rick nodded, "true. I hope I can. I don't know how I'd deal if I can't drive again," he told him, pulling his phone from his pocket and glancing at a few text messages.

Drew wasn't sure what to say. He'd been curious about the same thing, but hoped things would work out, so Rick would be able to. As he came to an intersection, Drew slowed down at the stoplight and Rick gasped, startling Drew, "what? What's wrong?" Drew asked quickly, glancing at his fiancé.

"I just looked at the date," Rick replied, looking up from his phone. "I've been so out of it that I haven't really paid attention. I knew it was coming up just after I got home, but I didn't realize it was today."

"It's Saturday. Is there something you were supposed to do?" Drew wondered, confused at what Rick was getting at.

Rick put his phone back into his pocket and took Drew's hand in his, "happy anniversary."

Drew's eyes widened as they laced their fingers together, "happy anniversary," he replied easily, "you're right. Five years. I guess we've had other things on our minds that have kept us a little distracted," he admitted, glancing at Rick, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Rick smiled, resisting the urge to lean over and kiss Drew. They still hadn't talked about just how much PDA they'd be willing to share when out in public and he didn't want to push either of them right now.

~*~

Drew parked in one of the visitor spaces and looked at Rick, "you ready for this?"

Rick glanced up at the three story building, thankful he lived on the second floor and took a deep breath, "yes. It's not going to be the easiest, but I want to do this."

"And I've got your back," Drew promised, climbing out of the SUV and moving to get Rick's crutches and a bag from the back he had there.

Rick climbed out of the SUV and leaned against it as he waited for Drew and closed the door. It'd been over a year since he'd set foot in his apartment, "it feels like I've been away from this place longer than I've actually lived in it," Rick murmured, tucking the crutches under his arms and getting some momentum to began the trek to the door into the lobby.

"Well, you kinda have. The last three deployments add up to you being deployed for more than half of our relationship," Drew commented, following him after locking his car doors.

"I know," Rick sighed, "something I'm not happy about."

"Neither am I, but it makes the times we are together more special," Drew replied, pulling open the door into the lobby of the apartment complex.

Rick moved into the familiar space, hallways moving down the building for the first floor residents and then headed towards the main staircase that was in the center of the building, "well, here goes nothing," he commented, looking at the first flight of twelve stairs.

Drew came to stand next to him, "you can do this," he smiled at him, trying to stay positive and hide the worried doctor part of him that wondered if it was too soon.

~*~

With a deep breath, Rick balanced himself on his leg and put his crutches on the first step and pushed himself up the few inches. It took a moment to get his balance, but after a few steps, memories if doing it once before came back to him and he made it up the first flight of stairs. Reaching the first landing, he leaned against the wall a moment and waited for Drew to join him.

Drew was hanging back a few steps, staying close if he needed him, but keeping his distance so Rick could focus on what he needed to do. Reaching the landing himself, he smiled at Rick, "doing great! One more to go."

Rick groaned, but was glad there had been a spot for a quick break. Taking a calming breath, he felt his heart racing from doing something he hadn't done in some time and he knew he was already sweating, soaking his clean shirt. His underarms were also starting to hurt from the extra pressure they had on them with using the crutches to climb with, but he pushed on to the next set of steps, wanting to continue.

"How are you doing?" Drew asked, following behind him.

"Fine," he choked out, focusing on the last few steps.

Drew watched him finally reach the top and smiled proudly, but chose to keep his congratulations until they were behind closed doors.

"I think I just used muscles I've never used before," Rick muttered, leaning against the wall by the stairs.

"Probably," Drew agreed, coming to stand next to him, "you good?"

"Yeah," Rick nodded, taking a calming breath and pushing himself off the wall to walk his way down the hallway to his apartment, "what's in the bag?"

"Promise you won't get pissed?" Drew asked, glancing at him.

"What is it? Your first aid kit?" Rick laughed lightly as they came to his door, 2H, relieved to finally be there, because he was sweaty and definitely needed something to drink.

Drew put his hand on the doorknob and bit his lip, "uh, yeah."

Rick continued to laugh as Drew opened the door, "what did you think would happen?"

"I had no clue, but I was coming prepared," Drew replied, stepping into the apartment and moving aside to let Rick go in.

As soon as Rick got inside and Drew closed the door, Rick turned to his fiancé, "ever the boy scout, I see," he smirked, "I'm alright."

"Boys, what are you doing here?" Wendy gasped, moving out of the kitchen area, "Rick, you don't look alright," she added, moving towards him.

"I'm alright, Wendy," Rick replied, "just a little out of breath and sweaty."

"Rick? Drew?" Terry gasped, having heard their voices, "what are you doing here?" She asked, moving right over to Rick and putting her hand on his forehead, "you're so sweaty and your heart is racing! Come sit down and put your leg up and I'll get you a cool towel," she added, moving towards the kitchen.

"Mom, I don't need a cool towel," Rick groaned, moving towards the couch to sit down.

"What on Earth possessed you to come over here?" Terry asked, ignoring Rick's comment and returning to the living area with a kitchen towel soaked in cold water, "you could have fallen down the stairs!" She admitted, pressing the towel against his forehead.

"I could have, but I didn't," Rick replied, batting her hand away, "mom, seriously, it's okay."

"Rick, I just worry about you. You're moving so fast. One time you say you don't think you'll be coming over here for a while and now you're showing up here. You've got to quit acting so tough about this. You're going to overwhelm yourself," Terry told him, sitting on the coffee table across from him.

"Mom," Rick took a deep breath and tried his best not to upset her, "I can't sit back and watch my life pass by. You're wrong if you think I should sit in a wheelchair, mope around, letting everyone wait on me because I lost my leg. That's not me. I want my life back. I want to get married and have a family and be able to spontaneously go for a hike with Drew or take a vacation with him," Rick paused and leaned forward, taking her hand in his, "I love you and I appreciate that you're here, but support me, please, don't tell me what to do. I know you're just trying to help and we're all learning as we go, but don't you think it's better to let me do as much as I can on my own, so I can be more independent instead of depending on someone?"

The older woman had tears in her eyes as her son spoke. She'd tried to stay strong and put aside how upset she was at what happened to him, but she couldn't hold on anymore, "I'm so sorry," she choked out, moving to sit next to him on the couch and wrapped her arms around him, "I don't mean to overwhelm you, but I'm trying so hard to keep from showing just how upset I am. My son lost his leg and there was nothing I could do!"

Rick hugged her tightly and rubbed her back, "there was nothing you could have done to save my leg, mom. Drew and TC tried, but it was too damaged. I'm not happy about what happened either, but I'm not mad at them. They did all they could and," he paused, "now it's in the past. I can't change it and neither can you. Now we can either dwell on it or put it in the past and move on. My recovery is not going to be easy, as Drew saw earlier, but I'm gonna need your support," he glanced around at his sister, Wendy and Drew who'd moved into the living area as he was talking, "all of yours. I know I may seem stubborn, but I don't want this to define who I am, because I'd like to think I have a lot of life to live for."

Drew sat on the armrest of the couch next to his fiancé and rested his hand on his shoulder, "you definitely do," Drew assured him, "and you know I'm here."

"We are, too," Gabby added, smiling at her brother and Wendy nodded in agreement, waiting for Terry to respond.

Terry sat for a moment, soaking in what Rick told her and smiled lightly, reaching up to rest a hand on his cheek, "of course I'm here for you," she replied, "and I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. You've grown into such an amazing man."

Rick smiled at her response, but glanced at his fiancé briefly, "thanks, mom, but I didn't do all the work myself. If it wasn't for some people I'd still be pissed at the world," Rick replied, trying to pass off the compliment.

"Take the credit, Rick," Drew smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to Rick's forehead, "things I've said and things other people have said may have stuck with you, but it was you who had to decide to believe what we said."

"But I don't think I could have had any reason to believe anything without you," Rick admitted, "you gave me a reason to fight this."

Drew held out his left hand to Rick and Rick took it, lacing their fingers together easily. Looking at their joined hands, Drew's engagement ring standing out against his skin, he smiled, "selfishly, I didn't want to lose you, but I knew you were stronger than what happened and had faith you could fight it, you just needed the push."

Rick pressed a kiss to the top of Drew's hand and smiled, squeezing his hand gently, "yeah, but we're stronger together."

~*~

Taking a moment to calm down from their conversation, the moms and Gabby decided to go out and get something for dinner, so the guys could have some time alone in Rick's apartment. Both men decided the couch would be the best place to relax.

"Do you remember our first kiss?" Rick asked softly.

Drew smirked at the question and glanced down at his fiancé. Rick was using Drew's thigh as a pillow and Drew was gently running his hand through Rick's short hair, massaging his scalp, "which one? The first time you kissed me or the first time we kissed?" The doctor wondered curiously.

...

**Flashback - Saturday, July 25, 2009**

"Dude, Rick, remind me to never let you drink that much in one night again," twenty-, almost twenty-one-year-old Private First Class (PFC) Drew Alister muttered as he guided the severely drunk man up the stairs in Rick's apartment building.

"Why? I can hold my liquor," twenty-five-year-old Second Lieutenant (2LT) Rick Lincoln replied, his arm draped around Drew's shoulders as they walked upstairs.

"Holding your liquor and being drunk are two different things," Drew replied, glad he'd had sense enough to stop at his second beer that night. He also didn't want to push his luck at the bar; they knew he was not quite twenty-one yet and it was an unspoken policy there that they'd look the other way when soldiers came in who were close to the legal drinking age. The owners felt the soldiers were fighting for their country, so the least they could do is offer to let them drink a little earlier, in thanks for serving.

"Aw, listen to you. Already talking like a doctor," Rick leaned his head on Drew's shoulder as they paused at the first landing of the staircase.

"Come on, let's just get you upstairs," Drew rolled his eyes and since Rick still had his arm around his shoulders, Drew took Rick's hand to hold him and kept his other arm around Rick's back to guide him towards the second flight of stairs, "I'm just glad you weren't in your uniform."

"I don't drink in my uniform," Rick told him, laughing lightly as he stumbled a little on the steps, "maybe I shoulda gotten the apartment on the first floor."

Drew couldn't help laughing lightly at Rick's comment, but continued on, coaxing the Army officer upstairs. When they finally reached the top, Drew sighed in relief and guided him down the familiar hallway until they stopped outside 2H, Rick's apartment, "where's your keys, Rick?"

"My pocket," Rick murmured, digging into his jeans for them. Fumbling for the right key, they accidentally slipped from his hands.

With quick reflexes, Drew grabbed them before they hit the floor. Finding the right keys, Drew unlocked the two locks and pushed the door open, "come on. Time to get you into bed."

"Oh you're no fun," Rick huffed, letting Drew guide him into the dimly lit apartment.

"Neither are you when you're this wasted," Drew replied, closing the door once they were both inside, and then guided Rick towards his bedroom, glad there were a few lamps on to light their way into the room.

Once they were in his room, Rick pulled away from Drew and took a few uneven steps towards his bed and then turned around to look at Drew, "you know, I'd really like to congratulate you on your new career path," Rick murmured.

"Thanks, but you can wait until tomorrow when you're sober," Drew replied.

"No, I want to now," Rick stepped towards him and put his arms around Drew's neck. Smiling Rick leaned in, pressing his lips to Drew's in a soft kiss.

Drew froze when their lips connected, a mix of confusion and shock washing over him as he stood there. He had things in his life that he hid from everyone, but as Rick kissed him, he couldn't bring himself to push his friend away; he didn't want to. Unfortunately, reality kicked him and Drew realized what was happening.

It wasn't that they were kissing, he could deal with that later; it was that Rick was very drunk and the last thing Drew wanted was for Rick to do something he'd regret in the morning, so he reluctantly pulled away, "Rick, you're wasted."

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that," Rick muttered.

"I don't want to talk about this," he told him, putting his hands on Rick's shoulders and gently guided him back towards the bed, "you've gotta sleep off the alcohol."

"You can stay if you want," Rick smiled, laying down and leaning back against his pillows.

Drew watched him, ignoring his offer. His mind was racing and he just needed time to clear his head, but he wasn't going to do anything until he knew Rick was asleep, which happened quicker than expected.

Sighing in relief, Drew quietly stepped out of Rick's room and closed the door, before moving to leave. As his hand landed on the doorknob, Drew realized he didn't have anywhere to go. He still lived in the barracks on post and he'd had two beers that night. They weren't enough to get him as drunk as Rick, but he figured his blood-alcohol level was high enough that he shouldn't be driving. He knew he could get into a lot of trouble if he showed up to the gate, driving and having been drinking, and in even more trouble if they decided to check his age and see he was under the legal drinking age, so he reluctantly glanced at Rick's couch and moved towards it, taking a seat and kicking his shoes off. Dropping Rick's keys on the table, Drew leaned back and stretched out on the couch.

The kiss didn't piss him off, it did quite the opposite; he enjoyed it. Drew had known he was gay for years, but his plan was always to join the military and he knew he could be dishonorably discharged if it got out and he didn't want to ruin his military career because he preferred men, so he chose to keep his preference a secret from everyone.

As Drew laid on the couch, he began to think back to the last two years that they'd known each other, wondering if there had been anytime when he'd slipped or dropped any hints to Rick that he liked guys, or if Rick had done the same thing. He did remember they'd gotten to be good friends pretty quickly during Basic and when Drew had gone to Fort Sam Houston (FSH) in San Antonio for combat medic training, he and Rick admitted in emails that they missed 'hanging out' when Rick was at Officer Candidate School (OCS) and Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. There didn't seem to be anything that stood out, not even after Rick arrived at FSH for his first duty station as a Ranger and an officer. They were glad to see each other and began hanging out again, always when they were off-duty and off post, because Drew was enlisted and Rick was an officer. They both respected the chain-of-command and if they were working, the guys knew Drew was Rick's subordinate and Drew had to follow Rick's orders, but thankfully they didn't work in the same area of FSH, so it wasn't too much of a problem.

Then, Rick and Drew's units got deployed for the first time. Again, the guys weren't working in the same area, but they saw each other and being in such a dangerous place and situation, their friendship grew stronger and now that they were home, it continued.

In all the thoughts, Drew could not think of a time when Rick had showed any sign that he might be gay and he began to worry that he'd actually lose Rick's friendship if Rick remembered the kiss.

" _Okay, Rick was drunk. He wasn't thinking clearly. He's probably not even going to remember it in the morning and it was just an 'in the heat of the moment' kiss, so forget about it,_ " Drew told himself, taking a deep breath and trying to let his body relax, but he couldn't help his reaction, " _yeah, he's a good looking guy and a great person. He's definitely someone I'd think of dating, if the situation was different, but his friendship means more to me; I don't want to lose him, so I hope he doesn't remember,_ " Drew sighed and shook his head, " _I can't believe that was my first kiss with a guy. Sure, I've kissed girls and had girlfriends in high school, but I'm gay. Those kisses didn't mean anything. This one did and it was with my drunk best friend, who's probably not even going to remember it in the morning. Figures... Look, just relax and put it behind you. Rick's not going to remember it and you can't talk about it, because of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy..._ "

...

**Flashback - Sunday, July 26, 2009**

Rick woke up the following morning with a pounding headache, "shit," he groaned, clenching his eyes closed as he rolled away from the bright sun shining into his bedroom window. "I gotta limit my drinking," he muttered, realizing he needed to take something for his headache and sat up, finding he still had his clothes on from the night before.

Curious how he got there, but more focused on getting something for his headache, he got up and padded into the bathroom. Finding some Tylenol, he got a few pills and headed to the kitchen to get some water, not even realizing he had a guest on the couch until after he'd taken the pills and turned to look into the living area.

Briefly, Rick was surprised to see Drew on the couch, but it wasn't unusual. When they would hang out, if it got too late or they'd had too much to drink, Drew would crash on Rick's couch, so he wasn't going back to the barracks with alcohol on his breath and getting in trouble for underage drinking and drinking and driving.

Without thinking about it anymore, Rick began making a pot of coffee and then went to change clothes. Returning to the kitchen just as the coffee began to fill the pot, Rick filled two mugs and added his and Drew's 'usual' extras to it before moving into the living room and setting Drew's coffee down on the table next to Rick's keys, "Drew, there's coffee on the table if you want it," Rick said softly, not wanting to wake him up, but if he was starting to stir, he could get the coffee while it was still warm.

Hearing Rick's voice, Drew woke quickly and jumped a little, for a moment not realizing where he was, "oh, hi."

Rick laughed lightly, "sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Drew shook his head, "it's okay," he replied, sitting up and reaching for his coffee, "thanks."

"It's okay. Least I could do. I'm assuming you brought me home last night," Rick commented.

"Uh, yeah," Drew nodded, the memories of the night before flooding his mind, "you were wasted."

"I definitely am paying for it today," Rick replied, rubbing his forehead and moving back into the kitchen, "you want something to eat?"

"Uh, nah, I'm good," Drew replied, "I gotta get back to the barracks," he told him reaching for his shoes to put them on, "I've got some things to do before work tomorrow."

Rick raised a curious eyebrow at Drew, knowing he'd told him the day before he had nothing to do that day, "oh? Did something come up last night?"

"Oh, um, no, I just..." Drew finished putting his shoes on and took a sip of the coffee, realizing he had to think about what he was going to say without Rick catching on. Drew needed some time to think and he didn't want to piss Rick off.

"Look, Drew, if you don't want to have breakfast, that's fine. I just know you've stayed for breakfast before when you've crashed here and you know you're welcome to stay," Rick told him, realizing something was going on with Drew, "is everything alright with you? You were fine last night, well, as much of last night as I can actually remember. Did something happen after my third shot of tequila?"

Drew smirked at that, got up and moved towards Rick in the kitchen, "yeah, you had a fourth shot of tequila," Drew replied, "so you don't remember me bringing you back here?"

"Nope. Last thing I clearly remember is the tequila and being thankful it wasn't karaoke night," Rick laughed, nursing his coffee cup.

"Oh thank God it wasn't," Drew smirked, setting his half empty cup of coffee on the counter and reached for the pot at the same time Rick was reaching for the creamer right next to it and their hands touched lightly. Drew pulled his hand back quickly and gasped.

Rick froze and looked at Drew, "what is wrong with you? I've never known you to be this jumpy. Wait, did I do something to you last night?"

Drew swallowed nervously, "it's nothing," he shrugged, "I should just go," he motioned to the door and moved out of the kitchen.

"Drew, wait a second," Rick followed after him until Drew stopped and turned to look at him, "look, if I did or said something to you last night that pissed you off, I'm sorry, but I was so wasted, I don't remember it."

"That's what I figured and it's probably better that we both forget it," Drew told him, turning to walk away again.

"What the hell? You're not even going to tell me what I did?" Rick asked, a little pissed Drew was walking away from something he had no clue about, "it's not like I kissed you," he added in a soft voice, hoping that would kick Drew enough to talk to him, but knowing it wasn't something to joke about, either.

Drew froze as he was almost to the door, refusing to turn around as he tried to gather his thoughts.

At Drew's sudden reaction, Rick gasped and stepped back, "shit, Drew, did I kiss you?" He asked quickly, his voice lower than it had been.

Taking a deep breath, Drew turned around and eyed Rick, for the first time seeing panic and fear in his eyes. Silently, Drew nodded, feeling like he should leave, but part of him wanted to stay.

"Oh this can't be happening," Rick groaned, running his hands through his short hair nervously, "Drew, I can explain..."

"No!" Drew said quickly, "I don't want you to explain and I'm not asking," Drew told him, "you were drunk. You weren't thinking clearly and I'm not going to tell anyone, okay?"

Rick nodded and took a deep breath, "but, you deserve the truth. I shouldn't have hid it from you, you're my best friend."

"Stop right there," Drew held up his hand, "don't say anything else. I get it and your secret is safe with me," he finished, turning around and walking towards the door.

"Drew, I'm so sorry," Rick murmured softly, fighting numerous emotions as he watched Drew leave, "you don't have to go."

Drew opened the door and glanced at him, "I just need some time to think," he finished, stepping out of the apartment and closed the door behind him, before he lost his strength.

Rick watched the door close and took a deep breath, hating that he had been so drunk that he lost all his self-control and probably ruined their friendship, " _Damn it! How could I have let this happen? Why didn't I stop myself? I fucked up big time,_ " Rick sighed, " _I want to go after him, but I'm probably the last person he wants to see. Hell, he'll probably never talk to me again. I probably ruined our friendship and all because I've been hiding how I really feel about him and that I'm attracted to him._ "

Taking a seat on the couch, Rick leaned back, " _why wasn't I more careful? I've hid my sexuality in the military for years and I've gotten drunk before and never did anything. Granted last night was the first night I drank that much tequila. I guess I should be thankful for small miracles that it happened here and not at the bar, but still. I wish I could have told Drew before now. He deserved the truth and I didn't even technically tell him the truth, but I think he got the idea. What am I going to do? Drew's my best friend and now I don't know what's going to happen, but I definitely won't be drinking tequila again,_ " Rick stretched out on the couch, the idea of breakfast completely gone as he worried about what had happened, " _dude, just take some time to relax. Drew needs some time to cool off. Things will work out; they have to,_ " Rick closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to believe that.

...

Drew hated that he had to hide who he was. He loved the Army and didn't want to jeopardize his career for his lifestyle choice, but he hated that he couldn't be himself. Rick's kiss was an eye-opener for him. Drew realized that he wanted and knew he deserved to be happy and just because the military frowned on his sexuality, didn't mean he couldn't find happiness somehow. He just never imagined it'd come from the man he'd become best friends with since meeting him in Basic Training.

Leaving Rick's was hard. It wasn't that he wanted to be away from Rick; he just needed to clear his head. In just a few short hours, all the feelings and emotions he'd briefly had at some point surfaced and his attraction grew for his best friend, who he just found out was gay. Part of him didn't want to tell Rick anything, afraid Rick would pull away from him if he knew his feelings, but his heart told him he needed to go back to Rick's and explain what was on his mind; like Rick said to him, he deserved to know the truth and he felt the same towards Rick.

For several hours, Drew drove around San Antonio. He contemplated stopping at a local park to go for a walk, but he wasn't in the mood for exercise and driving had always helped calm him down. In the time that he was driving, soon he found himself returning to Rick's apartment and parking in one of the visitor spaces.

It took him about twenty minutes to gather the courage to get out and head towards the lobby. There he went upstairs and returned to the familiar hallway, and soon came to a stop outside of Rick's apartment. Before he knocked, he took a deep breath, " _you can do this. You need to do this. Rick deserves the truth and he needs to know you trust him and he can trust you,_ " he thought, lifting his hand and knocking on the door.

...

Rick fell asleep when he'd laid down on the couch, glad to sleep off the hangover he had, but more because he needed to calm down from what had happened. He wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but woke to someone knocking on his door. Pushing himself up, he padded across the floor, half asleep, and reached for the knob, not even bothering to look to see who it was.

Pulling the door open, Rick's eyes widened in shock when he saw the man who'd been on his mind all day, "Drew! Uh, hey. I didn't expect to see you again."

"Honestly, I didn't think I'd be back so soon either, but can, uh, can I come in?" Drew motioned into the apartment.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Rick stepped aside, "come in."

Drew nodded his thanks and moved into the apartment, letting Rick close the door before he continued, "so, you were right earlier."

"I was right? About what?" Rick wondered, unsure what he was getting at.

"You said I deserved the truth and you're right. We both deserve to hear the truth," Drew explained, putting his hands nervously into his pockets.

"Look, Drew, I was drunk. You don't have to make this into something else. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I didn't want that to happen, but you know the rules and all," Rick told him, moving away from the door and leaning against the back of the couch.

"No, don't apologize. I think," Drew took a deep breath, "I've been driving around for the last few hours with a thousand things swirling through my head and I think I did need to find out this way."

"What are you talking about?" Rick asked, completely confused.

"I get why you've had to hide who you truly are. I want you to know that as your friend, your best friend, that you don't have to hide with me," Drew told him, "I know what's on the line if anyone found out and your secret is safe with me, I swear."

Rick swallowed nervously, "thank you," he smiled lightly, happy to hear Drew still considered him a best friend and that he'd keep his secret.

Drew returned his smile and took a calming breath, "you see, I know what it's like to keep a secret and I've been lying to you. Like I said, we both deserve to know the truth."

"Drew, what are you talking about? What secret could you possibly be keeping?" Rick asked, oblivious to where Drew was going with that statement.

Taking a step closer to him, Drew watched Rick stiffen and stand up a little straighter, so he paused, not wanting to freak him out, "I can't _tell_ you," he started, reaching out to rest his hands on Rick's shoulders.

Rick raised a curious eyebrow at him, his heart beginning to race as he tried to figure out exactly what Drew was hinting at, "tell me what?"

Drew closed the distance between them and moved his hands from Rick's shoulders to rest against his cheeks for a moment, "would you let me show you that you're not the only one keeping a secret?" He asked softly.

Blinking his eyes in shock at what Drew was doing, Rick nodded and before he could say anything, Drew leaned in and pressed his lips to Rick's. For a moment, Rick was stunned at the kiss, but as Drew wrapped his arms around Rick's neck, Rick immediately reacted by putting his arms around Drew's body and leaned into him, letting years of built up attraction finally surface for both of them. For those brief moments, the two were relieved to finally be able to be themselves with someone they trusted and allowed them to forget about the 'rules' for a moment.

Reluctantly, the need for air pulled them back into reality and as their lips broke apart, Rick pressed his forehead to Drew's, "I'm not _asking_."

"I'm not _telling_ ," Drew replied honestly, locking gazes with Rick's, "but are you sure this is okay? I mean, being us?"

Rick smiled and nodded, "there's no one else I could imagine being an _us_ with."

...

**Present Day - Saturday, July 26, 2014**

Rick smiled at Drew's question and shifted to sit up next to him, "the first time we kissed. You've told me about when I kissed you, but I still don't remember; I was so drunk."

Drew laughed lightly and put his arm around his fiancé and pulled him close, "I know. I'd never seen you that drunk before."

"And that will never happen again," Rick replied, "I haven't had tequila since and I kinda lost interest in alcohol."

"Damn, I was hoping we could recreate that sometime," Drew winked, kissing him, "and maybe continue with how that night could have ended if things had been different."

Rick pulled back from the kiss and decided to joke with him a little and see what he'd say, "what kind of guy do you think I am? I don't get wasted and sleep with just _anyone_. I do have standards."

"Standards, huh?" Drew leaned Rick to the side until he took the hint and shifted to lay his back on the couch and Drew moved to lay next to him on his side, "I do meet those standards, right?"

"I don't know," Rick replied, eyeing him, "the guy I sleep with has to be attractive," he glanced at him and smiled, "yeah, you definitely meet that one. He's also gotta be loving and caring, which you definitely are. He's gotta have a sense of humor, but also know when to be serious," Rick paused, "yep, that's you. He's gotta accept me for who I am and support me and you definitely do," Rick pressed a kiss to Drew's lips, "he's gotta be a good kisser," he paused, "I may have to check on that one again."

Drew kissed him lovingly, bringing up his free hand to brush against Rick's cheek.

As they pulled apart, Rick smiled, "yes, you're definitely an excellent kisser. The guy has to share some of my interests and enjoy doing them together, but also willing to give us our own space," Rick nodded, "yeah, you do," he smiled, "he's definitely gotta love me with all his heart and I know you definitely do and you know I love you the same, right?"

"I do," Drew nodded, happy to listen to him talk, "what else?"

"You really want me to continue? You know I'm describing you, the only man I'll ever love, right?" Rick asked, eyeing him, his cheeks flushing a little.

Drew nodded again and draped his arm over Rick's chest, "of course I know, but it's nice to hear just why you love me and," Drew kissed him gently, "I've missed you. You've only been home a few days. It was a long fourteen months without you, without being able to hear your real voice or feel your touch."

Rick shifted and wrapped his arms around Drew's back and pulled him closer, pressing a kiss to his lips, "I missed you, too. This was the longest deployment I've had since we joined the military," he added, "emails and Skype calls are not the same as being together, but I'm here now."

"You definitely are," Drew agreed, smiling at him, "and I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier. I'm so proud of you for making it up here on your own," he added, kissing his fiancé once more.

Before Rick had a chance to respond, the door opened and they realized their family was back, "do we have to move?" Rick asked.

Drew laughed lightly and shook his head, "maybe they won't notice."

Gabby leaned over the back of the couch and looked at them, "if you wanted to have sex you could have told me. I would have stalled them," she winked.

"Oh yes, just what every brother tells his sister, 'keep mom out of the apartment for a little longer so we can have sex'," Rick shook his head, "Drew and I were friends before we became a couple and we've been apart for so damn long it's nice to just spend time together."

"And we've got the rest of our lives to be together, but thanks for the offer," Drew added.

"Speaking of that, have you talked about any ideas for your wedding?" Wendy asked curiously as she and Terry began to gather up plates and set the table for dinner, the women having gone to get Chinese.

Drew groaned, "mom, we just got engaged."

"Of course you did, but you're going to need to talk about it at some point. At least you could decide where you'd like to have it. Quite a few states have legalized same-sex marriages in the last few years," Terry replied.

"I'm not very current on which ones," Rick replied, "kinda had limited news in the sandpit," he turned to look at his fiancé, "you have any ideas?"

Drew thought for a moment and shrugged, "I don't know. I guess that depends. Both of our home-states legalized it, New Mexico and Washington. California and Hawaii did, too. There are others, but those four stood out to me the most," Drew replied.

Rick smiled, reaching up to rest his hand on Drew's cheek, "I'll let you pick, but I'm open to any of those four," he told him.

"You want me to pick? You sure?" Drew asked surprised.

"Yeah. I'm sure. I know you're not always thrilled when we end up in Hawaii, so I want you to pick where we get married, because honestly, as long as I end up as your husband, I'll be happy," he smiled.

Drew returned his smile and nodded, "okay. I feel the same way, but I'll figure it out," he assured him, "should we get up?"

"Oh, I suppose we should. You don't have to work tonight, right?" Rick asked.

"Nope and I'm not even on call. The only reason I'd get called in is if there was a major disaster," Drew replied, shifting to sit up, being careful not to hit Rick's leg.

Rick turned as Drew did and the two sat up, stretching a little, "so I get you all weekend?"

Drew stood up and turned around, holding his hand out to Rick, "yep, I'm all yours. Or until you're sick of me."

Taking his hand, Rick stood up and came face to face with him and balanced himself on his good leg before he reached for his crutches, "I don't think I could ever be sick of you," Rick admitted honestly, getting settled on his crutches.

"Good to know. I feel the same way," Drew replied, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Rick's lips, "love you."

"Love you, too, Drew," Rick smiled, "always."

~*~

**Saturday Night**

The five of them settled around the table to eat dinner and chatted lightly. The moms brought up the wedding again and Drew and Rick both, as nicely as possible, asked them to lay off. The two women could see they didn't want to talk about it, so they reluctantly dropped the subject... for the time being.

As dinner came to an end, Drew and Rick got to the whole reason why they'd come over to the apartment in the first place. To give Rick a chance to pack up some of his more important things, that he didn't want to get lost in his move and a few more bags full of clothes, piling the bags by the door when they were full.

After a bit, Rick leaned against the wall by the door, looking around at his apartment. It was pretty empty. In the time he'd had the place, he'd only been there half the time with all the deployments he'd gone on, so he never put much focus on decorating and only got the necessary furniture items to keep the apartment functional. He also knew at any time he could be told he was being transferred somewhere else and would have to move, so he didn't want to drag a bunch of unneeded things around if he did have to leave San Antonio.

As he looked around, Rick couldn't help feeling a little sad. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be in the apartment again and just knowing he'd be leaving a place that held so many good memories hurt him, in a way, hurting as much as losing his leg did.

Drew noticed what Rick was doing and moved towards him, leaning against the wall next to his fiancé. He had a pretty good idea what was on his mind, because Drew himself had been thinking about the memories they'd shared at the apartment. "I'm gonna miss this place," Drew admitted, glancing at Rick, "we've always been able to be ourselves here."

Rick smiled and nodded, "yeah, we have been," he agreed, taking a deep breath, "it's a bittersweet moment, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Seven years of friendship and five years of a relationship and we're finally going to live together. It's a happy moment, but it'll be hard to leave," Drew told him.

"Exactly. I'm happy to finally live with you and I know," he motioned towards the stairs, "I could not do the stairs more than once every few days. That took a lot out of me, so I can't stay here, but still. Leaving the place that's been 'home' and with so many memories for the last few years, it's hard, but," Rick smiled and looked at his fiancé, "I'm looking forward to starting our life together."

Drew put his arm around Rick's shoulders and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I am, too."

~*~

The guys took a few minutes to gather their thoughts before getting ready to leave. Gabby was going back with them, since she'd been staying with them, giving their moms a chance to stay at Rick's. Gabby had taken Rick's bags down to Drew's SUV and was waiting for them, giving them a final few moments in the apartment.

"Sweetheart, are you sure you're ready to move out of here?" Terry asked Rick as the two moms finished saying 'goodnight' to their sons. Terry wanted a final confirmation he was ready.

Rick nodded as he gave her a hug, "yeah. I'm sure. I'm ready to start my life with Drew and I'll speak with my landlady in the next few days about it, too."

"We'd be happy to help pack things and start bringing boxes over to your place when we come over," Wendy told them, "if you're alright with that."

Drew and Rick exchanged glances and Rick nodded, "yeah, I am. I'd appreciate that, actually. I don't think I could be much help moving things and I won't be able to climb those stairs for a while, and by then I won't need to be back here. Thank you," he smiled at them.

Wendy stepped towards Rick and gave him a hug, "no thanks needed. You're family."

Rick returned her hug and smiled, "that means a lot to hear. I know... I know you're the only one of Drew's family who knows about us, so I'm glad you approve."

"I admit I was shocked at first, but I'm happy my son's happy and I love that I'm gaining another son," she smiled, then looked at Drew, "I'm sure if you told your sisters and dad, you'd find that they would be just as supportive, but I know you need to be ready to tell them yourself."

"When I'm ready, I'll tell them," Drew replied simply, giving his mom and Terry a hug, "we're gonna go. See you two tomorrow."

"Drive careful," Wendy warned as Drew opened the door and let Rick step out of the apartment.

"We will," he waved, closing the door and following his fiancé towards the stairs.

"You wanna talk about it?" Rick asked, glancing at Drew as he handed him one of his crutches, so he could hang onto the railing.

"No, but we could talk about what the heck you're doing," Drew commented, eyeing Rick.

"I'm gonna hold the railing with one hand and balance with the other crutch and use my good leg. What? I'm not going down with both crutches or I'm liable to end up on the floor," Rick replied, "you don't trust me?"

"Trust isn't the word I'd use. More like concerned. I don't think that's the safest," Drew replied.

"Now who's acting like a mother hen?" Rick laughed lightly, moving down the first step, "come on, Drew. Have a little faith."

Drew took a deep breath and moved down a few steps to get ahead of Rick in case he fell, "alright, you win."

"It's not about winning or losing," Rick replied, "it's about me being independent. I can do this stuff. It might not be as easy as it is for you, but hopefully it'll come back when I get a prosthetic," he explained, moving down a few more stairs without much problem, "and if I have an issue, I know you're there. Maybe this is being stubborn, but I want to see what I can do on my own."

"There's nothing wrong with that. I guess from a medical standpoint, I'm concerned you're going to get hurt if you're not careful, but as your partner and more importantly as your friend, I want to make things easy for you," Drew told him, "and I know once you get your prosthetic you'll get back to everything you did before, but until then, I'm just worried about you."

"And I appreciate that," Rick smiled, moving down a few more steps, "and I know it's usually hard for me to ask for help, but I will, okay?"

Drew nodded, "deal."

~*~

Reaching the landing, the guys took a break, before Rick continued and both were thankful he made it all the way down without slipping or falling. Soon the two were walking out to Drew's SUV and noticed Gabby was sitting on the curb next to it, her knees up to her chest, her head down and her phone in her hand. "Gabs," Rick started, using a nickname he called her once and a while, "you okay?"

Gabby jumped at the voices and quickly wiped her eyes, "yeah," she nodded, standing up, "you guys ready to go?"

Rick came up to her and immediately could tell she'd been crying, "you're not alright," he commented, shifting to lean against Drew's SUV, so he didn't need his crutches for support, and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close, "you don't have to lie to me."

At his words, Gabby sunk against him and started crying.

"Whoa, sis," Rick's eyes widened as he held onto her, "what's wrong?"

"My boyfriend cheated on me," she choked out, then pulled back from him and wiped her eyes, trying to shake away her emotions, "I'm sorry. You probably have more important things on your mind than dealing with my relationship problems," she muttered, trying to pass off her outburst.

"Hold up," Rick pulled her back against him and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'm still your brother, no matter what's going on in my life. I'm always going to be there for you," he assured her.

Gabby smiled lightly as she pulled back from him and took a deep breath, "thanks."

"You don't have to thank me," Rick replied, "now what happened?"

"Can we talk about it in the car?" She asked, knowing they were gonna head back to their place.

"Of course," Rick nodded, resting his hands on her cheeks, "I think I know what we should do tonight."

"Really? What?" She asked, trying to calm down.

"Drown our emotions in ice cream and movies," he smirked, "that always cheered you up before."

Gabby smiled, blushing, "yeah, are you sure? I mean... I can deal with this on my own. You guys should be spending time together, too."

"I'm not the only one who missed Rick," Drew commented, opening Rick's door as he pushed off the SUV and the two moved to it, "he's your brother. You have every right to spend time with him, too."

"Thanks, Drew," Gabby slid her arm around his back and smiled, "you're my brother, too, you know?"

Drew smiled at her and returned her hug, "thanks. That means a lot."

~*~

Getting into the SUV, Drew drove them back towards their place, but stopped at the grocery store to get some ice cream and some snack foods before they headed home.

Rick didn't let Gabby keep what was going on from him and she finally told them. Her friends had gone out to dinner and snapped a photo of her boyfriend getting cozy with a girl at the same restaurant. Her friend had called her to tell her about the photo she was sending and added that they'd confronted him and he didn't deny it, saying she took off without any idea when she'd be home and he wasn't gonna just sit around. When Gabby heard all that, she called him and broke up with him, which is when Drew and Rick had found her; she'd just gotten off the phone with him.

"Okay, I wanna fly to Washington and beat the shit out of someone," Rick commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Down boy, I'd prefer you to stay out of jail," Drew commented, "even if I want to beat the shit out of him, too."

"I agree with Drew," Gabby replied, "I don't need you getting in trouble. If he can't be faithful to me after being gone only a few days because I came to see my brothers, he's not worth my time."

Rick smiled at his sister, "that's my girl."

"Yeah, well, I'm still upset, but I'll get over it. You guys sure you wanna watch a movie and eat ice cream all night?" She asked, biting her lip, "I'm not intruding on your time?"

"Drew and I have the rest of our lives together, sis. Just being in the same room with each other is nice. You're not intruding on anything," Rick assured her.

"Yeah, and it's been a tough week for all of us. I could use some time to kick back, relax and spend it with my family," Drew replied, glancing at his fiancé.

Rick nodded in agreement and reached over, massaging Drew's neck gently as he drove through the streets of San Antonio, "I think we all could."

~*~

 **Up Next:** The events of The Night Shift Episode '1x07 - Blood Brothers' from Drew's point-of-view.

A/N3: Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoyed! Please review to let me know! Did you like the flashback? I plan to have several more throughout this story. Feel free to tell me what you'd like to see for flashbacks (and for the story, if you'd like) and I'll see what I can do. :) Hope the ages are alright. I wanted them a little younger than Brendan and Luke. Also, Paul mentioned in 1x06 that he was 24, so I decided to make Drew just a few years older than him. To all my reviewers, thank you! Hope I'm able to respond to your messages soon, but for now, sending a thank you to all of you! Your words keep me writing!

A/N4: Since the last few shows of the season (1x06-1x08) aired here in the US in July of 2014, that's why I went with Saturday, July 26, 2014, and I think I was working on this chapter around that time, too, so it fit.

A/N5: It's been a rough few weeks for my family. Many things are still unknown, but my mom has improved some. Thank you for your love, support, thoughts and prayers. It really means a lot!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Events of The Night Shift '1x07 - Blood Brothers' with a glimpse at '1x08 - Save Me'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Spoilers:** Up to 1x08 ~ Save Me; AU afterward  
>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer1: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> **A/N3 - SPOILERS:** Chapter 6 and 7 will focus on events from episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' and '1x08 - Save Me' of The Night Shift. Since most of us have seen these episodes, or may be soon seeing them, if you live in other countries where it's airing, I'm not going to focus too much on things that didn't involve Drew, but I will mention some important scenes or things that may be needed to follow along with the episodes.
> 
> **Disclaimer2:** Any similarities to cases and scenes from The Night Shift Episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' or '1x08 - Save Me' are purposely borrowed for this work of fiction. I do not own.
> 
> Underlined text: Quotes from The Night Shift Episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' or '1x08 - Save Me'. I don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

True to their words, Drew and Rick stayed up the rest of Saturday night with Gabby, watching sappy romantic comedies on Drew's XBox, since he had a Netflix account. Eventually, the three fell asleep during the early Sunday morning hours, with the guys laying together on one couch and Gabby stretched out on the other.

Because it was a weekend, Wendy and Terry expected their kids to sleep late, but when they arrived around eight-am, they were surprised to find they were all in the living room sound asleep. Not waking them up, the two women returned to Rick's apartment to gather up the first few boxes of Rick's stuff to move. When they returned to Drew and Rick's a little later, they found Gabby, Drew and Rick just getting up, so they all sat down for brunch.

Rick was surprised they were already moving things, but he appreciated that they were willing to get started and help him out. He also explained why they'd all slept in the living room and Gabby told them about breaking up with her boyfriend. She admitted she was glad the guys were willing to stay up with her and watch movies; it helped her deal a little, but she knew she wouldn't be completely 'okay' for a while.

After brunch, Gabby got ready for the day and she went back to Rick's place with their moms, leaving the guys to go through some of the boxes they'd brought over earlier in the day. Inside the boxes were things they didn't need immediately, so Drew put them in the garage, so they didn't take up too much room in the small living room and then he and Rick sat down to just talk, something they'd missed doing since they'd been apart for so long.

With a few trips to and from Drew and Rick's place, the moms and Gabby brought quite a bit more over. Most of it went into the garage, since it didn't all have to be gone through immediately, while some stayed in the living room so they could go through it slowly.

They had pizza for dinner that night and after one final trip with things that night, the moms returned to Rick's for some sleep, leaving Gabby and the guys at their place. Gabby claimed one of the guys' couches to sleep, having not slept much the night before, leaving Rick and Drew to relax in their room.

~*~

**Monday, July 28, 2014**

Drew and Rick tried to stay up as far into the early hours of Monday as possible to talk and relax together, before they fell asleep, so Drew didn't get his schedule messed up too much. Working the night shift had some benefits, but one of the drawbacks was the times he slept were different than most people. Rick was open to following Drew's sleep schedule as best he could, but since Wendy, Gabby and Terry were used to daytime hours, the three weren't able to follow his schedule as much. They all understood why he was sleeping during the day and never asked him to change his schedule while they were there.

With the weekend off, Drew felt like he'd recharged a lot after such an emotional week, but it also made him not really want to go back to work, having enjoyed his time with Rick and their family.

When the moms arrived back at Drew and Rick's, the guys and Gabby got up and after breakfast, Drew went over to Rick's place with them to help them move some furniture, before returning home to go to bed for a few more hours before he had to get ready for work. He didn't want to take a nap, but he knew he'd have a twelve hour night shift, so he wanted to sleep a few more hours, hoping it'd be enough to get him through the long shift.

~*~

It was a little after four when Drew woke up again, finding dinner being made by their moms and Gabby, while Rick watched TV on the couch; the women insisting he didn't have to help and he wasn't going to argue with them. Getting showered and ready for work, Drew joined his fiancé in the living room a short while later.

As soon as Drew appeared, Rick turned off the TV and turned to him, "damn, no scrubs?"

Drew laughed lightly and sat next to him, "I change at work, usually."

"Probably better that way, anyway. Every time I see you in them, I remember being in the hospital as a patient," Rick muttered.

Immediately, Drew knew what Rick meant and put his arm around him, "hopefully some day I can change that," Drew kissed him, "I don't want to you to be scared of me dressed in them."

"I'm not scared, it just brings back foggy memories I'd rather forget," Rick shrugged, "but I'd like that," he winked, kissing Drew again, this time deepening it for a moment.

"I don't wanna go to work," Drew muttered after they pulled from their kiss, "wanna stay here with you."

Rick settled against his fiancé, "I know, but I'll be here when you get home and you can always call or text during the night. I'll try to stay awake."

Drew smiled, "sounds like a plan."

~*~

**Monday Night**

After dinner, Wendy, Terry and Gabby went back over to Rick's apartment to bring back another load of belongings, letting the guys have some time to themselves before Drew went to work; both guys appreciating their family was giving them some space as often as possible.

Drew found himself in the kitchen, watching his coffee pot, one of the few appliances he used on a regular basis. He knew caffeine wasn't the greatest for his body, but it helped keep him going through some of the night and he'd probably go through a few more coffees before his shift was over.

"A watched pot never boils and all that," Rick smirked, coming into the kitchen.

"I know, but force of habit," Drew admitted, shrugging as he turned to look at his fiancé, "usually I don't have anything else to look at," he added, smiling at him, "how's the leg?"

"Sore, not as bad, though," Rick replied, taking a seat at the table, "need anything done around here?"

"What do you mean?" Drew wondered, hearing his coffee began to drip into his thermos.

"I don't know. Are there projects you've been putting off?" Rick wondered, "I know we started unpacking some of the stuff they've been bringing over from my place, but it's not top on my priority list."

Drew shrugged, moving to sit facing him, "honestly, not really. I've been a little busy with work, but I'm sure you could find something to do. I was thinking of moving all of our uniforms into the closet in the second bedroom. The one I've got my workout equipment and desk in. The closet is mostly empty."

"I think that can be managed," Rick smiled, "hopefully we won't get them mixed up."

"Yeah, we'll have to be extra cautious with that," Drew agreed, returning his smile and taking Rick's hands in his, "but I think we'll be good."

Rick squeezed his hands gently, "yeah. Um," Rick took a deep breath, "I'd like to talk to you about what Landry and I discussed the other day."

"Oh yeah?" Drew raised a curious eyebrow, "you don't have to. I'm happy to listen, but that's between you two."

"I know," Rick nodded, "but I want you to know what I'm thinking. I know this is a hell of a time to bring it up, when you're getting ready for work, but sometime soon I'd like to, okay?"

"Of course," Drew leaned in and kissed him, "anytime. I'm here," he paused and looked at him, "should I be worried?"

"No," Rick shook his head, "nothing like that, I swear. Just, this has given me a different outlook on life," he motioned to his leg, "and when I was talking with Landry, it came up. I'm pretty sure she won't tell you anything, because I know about the doctor-patient confidentiality, but I want you to know. I want to hear what you have to say."

"Okay, do you want to give me a hint?" Drew wondered, trying to figure out exactly what Rick was talking about.

Rick glanced at the clock and could see Drew still had some time before he had to leave, "well, an idea I've had is resigning my commission," he said softly.

"What?" Drew gasped, his eyes widening in shock, "is this because you don't think anyone's going to take your seriously anymore? Because they will."

"It's not that... I know at first I was concerned about it, but I just... I always figured I'd be career military and retire with twenty or more years, but this," Rick motioned to his leg, "has been an eye-opener. Don't get me wrong, I love the Army, but I don't know if I want to continue on that path anymore... Even if I can or they want me to."

Drew took a moment to soak in what Rick was saying. They'd always shared similar views about continuing their military careers, so it was a big shock to hear he was truly thinking about leaving the Army. Drew also knew he didn't know exactly what was going on in Rick's mind with everything that happened and as much as it surprised him to think that Rick may resign, he completely understood this experience being eye-opening.

Scooting his chair forward, Drew leaned in and pressed a kiss to Rick's lips while still holding onto his hands, "I can't imagine everything that's going on in your head, but I get that you're thinking about things. What I can tell you is I'm here. It'd be weird to not have you in the Army, but if that's what you choose to do, then I'll support you one-hundred-percent. Just promise me you won't go making this decision anytime soon, okay?"

Rick smiled and nodded at him, "I promise. I'm not going to make any big decisions for a while, well, maybe a few, but not that one. I just... I wanted to tell you. There's more, but that can wait until later," he explained, relieved that Drew wasn't against the idea of him leaving the Army and decided to keep the rest of his thought to himself; he wanted save that conversation until they had more time to talk.

"I appreciate you telling me," Drew admitted, squeezing his hands, and leaned in to kiss his fiancé, "I'll always love you, no matter what."

"I'll always love you, too," Rick replied with a smile, "now, you better go before you're late."

"It's just after six," Drew replied, shifting closer to him, "and our moms and Gabby aren't back yet," he reached up to rest his hands on Rick's cheeks, "maybe we could find something to do for a little bit."

"Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?" Rick wondered curiously.

Drew leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, his arms moving to wrap around Rick's shoulders, "maybe this?"

Rick smirked, the position they were in wasn't the easiest, but he had an idea and pushed himself up and then moved to sit on Drew's lap, "now, I'm not quite sure I figured it out. You wanna show me again?" He smiled, slipping his arms around Drew's neck.

Easily Drew wrapped his arms around his fiancé and kissed him again, loving the opportunity to just be with Rick. Both of them were reacting to being so close to each other, but before they could truly continue their kiss, the front door opened and the guys knew their moms and Gabby had returned, "seriously?" Drew muttered, pressing his forehead against Rick's.

"It was probably a good thing," Rick whispered, "I don't want you to be late."

"Oh yeah. Work," Drew nodded, tightening his arms around him, "you mean I can't stay here with you?"

"Not right now, but we can pick this back up when you get home," Rick promised, kissing him just as the women entered the kitchen.

"Well aren't you two cozy," Terry grinned, walking towards them with an envelope in her hand, "Drew, this is for you."

"Me?" Drew raised a curious eyebrow as he reluctantly let go of Rick to take the item from her, "what is it?"

"We're not sure. We found it when we were cleaning out Rick's desk. It's addressed to you," Wendy replied.

Drew glanced at it, immediately recognizing the handwriting as Rick's, "you were going to send me a letter?" He asked, seeing it already had a stamp on it.

Rick glanced at it, "why would I do that when I can text, email or call you?" He asked, "I don't know what that is," he admitted, not remembering the contents.

With a shrug, Drew tapped the envelope on the table so the letter moved to an end and then tore the edge off, pulled out the handwritten letter on baby blue paper and began to read.

As soon as Rick saw the color of the paper, he recognized it, "NO! Don't read that!" Rick reached for it, tugging the sheets from him, but not before Drew had a chance to read the first few lines.

"What's that all about?" Gabby asked, confused, "I thought you didn't know what it was."

"I didn't until I saw the color of the paper," Rick looked at Drew, "you never should have to read that."

"But it was addressed to him. You meant to send it, right?" Terry asked.

Drew turned his eyes away from them and took a moment to gather his thoughts, before looking back at his fiancé, "let me read what I just read and they'll understand."

"Okay," Rick sighed, handing him the papers and biting his lip.

Taking it back, Drew opened it to read the first few lines, " _My Dearest Drew, I love you with all my heart. If you're reading this letter, I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep my promise of coming back to you. My hope is you found this letter, but if not, whoever did, I'm glad they got it to you..._ " Drew stopped and folded the letter, fighting tears in his eyes as he looked at Rick, "I know what we should do with this," he said softly and at Rick's nod, Drew began ripping the paper to pieces, "you came home to me, so I don't need to read anymore. Anything in here, you can tell me yourself."

Rick nodded, relieved that Drew didn't continue reading. It wasn't because of what was in it, it was the reason for writing it in the first place. It wasn't uncommon for soldiers to write a goodbye letter to their spouse or family, in case they didn't return from deployment. Rick had written it just before he got deployed the last time. By then, Drew was out of medical school and about to start his first year at San Antonio Memorial Hospital. He knew he'd be working at the hospital for a few years and in case something happened, Rick wanted to make sure Drew got a personal letter from him; not just let him hear 'sorry for you loss' from someone.

"You already know most of it," Rick admitted, shifting to move back to his own chair.

Drew dropped the torn up pieces of paper on the table and grabbed onto Rick, "where are you going?"

Rick smiled lightly at his arms around him, but he shook his head, "you've gotta go or you're gonna be late," he replied, kissing him.

Drew sighed, knowing he was right and reluctantly let him move back to his seat, "yeah, alright," he took a deep breath, "not exactly in the best mind to go, though," he added, standing up and getting his coffee.

"I'm so sorry," Terry admitted, "we wouldn't have given it to you if we had realized what it was."

"It's okay," Drew waved off her apology, "you didn't know. It's emotional, but we knew he might not come back and this was his way of saying 'goodbye' if he didn't. Thankfully, I didn't have to read it for the reasons he wrote it," Drew explained, resting his hand on Rick's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm glad I could come home to you," Rick agreed, shifting to push himself up to face Drew, "come here," he smiled, pulling Drew towards him, the two wrapping their arms around each other in a tight hug, "I love you," Rick murmured.

Drew smiled, "I love you, too. I'll see you in the morning."

~*~

On his drive to the hospital, Drew did his best to shake the eerie letter he'd started to read. He completely understood the reason Rick wrote it, but it still shook him. Every day he worried he'd get _that_ call and he was glad he never did; he was extremely relieved and thankful when he got that text from Rick saying he was coming home. The message never prepared them for what would happen when Rick did get back, but through it all, no matter how hard Rick's recovery would be, Drew was gonna be by his side and he was thankful to have Rick home with him; he knew they could face it all together.

Telling himself he'd be seeing Rick after his shift, Drew parked his SUV in the employee parking lot and got out. Grabbing his coffee and his bag, he was startled from his thoughts at the sound of a motorcycle and glanced up to see TC arriving and parked near him, so he waited for him to climb off his bike.

"Hey, TC," Drew waved, walking towards him.

"Hey, Drew. How was your weekend?" TC asked, hanging his helmet on the handlebar of his bike and walked to meet him, patting him on the shoulder, "how's Rick?"

"I'm doing alright, so is Rick. His leg doesn't hurt as bad as it did. Just taking it one day at a time. Weekend was great," Drew replied, "thanks for asking."

TC put his arm around his shoulders as they walked, "I'm glad things are going well and I bet there's some added benefits to having your fiancé home, eh?" TC grinned, nudging him with his shoulder.

Drew blushed a little and nodded, "yeah. Though, with our moms and sister here, we don't get as much time alone, though they do give us some space."

"How long are they staying?" TC asked as they began to walk into the hospital.

"Not sure. No one has really talked about it. They're helping pack Rick's apartment and moving what they can over to our place, but after that. I don't know. We love them and appreciate them coming, but," he paused trying to figure out the right words, "Rick's on crutches, so he's getting around really well and other than a concern of falling, there's not much going on they can do."

"I'm sure once they see you guys have things under control they'll go home. They can always visit later," TC replied.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking," Drew agreed, sipping his coffee.

"Well, if you ever need someone to help move furniture let me know. I'd be happy to help," TC replied.

"Thanks," Drew smiled, "you sure?"

"Definitely," TC nodded, "that's what friends are for."

~*~

**Monday Night ('1x07 - Blood Brothers')**

The shift started like a normal night; a quick meeting by the nurse's station before the staff moved on to taking care of patients, some having been there a few hours, while others were just arriving.

A little after nine, TC and Topher headed out to a plane crash in a nearby park. They had go in the helicopter, because there was no road access, leaving Jordan as the only senior doctor in the ER, Drew being 'next in line'.

Not too long after TC and Topher left, around nine-forty-five, Drew got his next patient of the night. It was a twenty-four year old woman, named Candy, dressed in a very revealing outfit, being wheeled in on a gurney, with her neck wrapped in a brace. The paramedics explained her condition and she immediately said she was a stripper and had fallen off the pole during her routine. Drew, being the nearest doctor, and the only guy the ER not distracted by her appearance, introduced himself as they headed towards a room to check her out. Drew noticed Paul's sudden attention to her, and initially thinking Candy's case would be a simple one, Drew quickly asked Paul to assist and he jumped at the chance.

Moving Candy into an exam room, Drew watched Kenny and Paul have a brief conversation in the hallway, while Drew and one of the female nurses helped the paramedics get Candy off the gurney and onto the bed.

Once she was settled, the paramedics left with their gurney, for the moment leaving Drew and the female nurse alone with Candy, "alright, Candy, I'm gonna ask you some questions, probably ones you've already answered, but I need to know, alright?"

As best she could, the blond nodded, "okay."

"How exactly did this happen?" Drew asked, putting gloves on and beginning a simple physical exam.

"I was doing my routine and I went to spin around on the pole. I've done it a thousand times before without a problem, but this time, I slipped and landed on my side, jerking my neck hard, because when I landed it hurt," she explained, "it's better now. Can we take the brace off?" She asked, reaching up to brush her hand against the firm plastic collar.

"Not yet," Drew shook his head as he used a pen light to look into her eyes, "I want to get an x-ray and some blood work done. Until those results come back, I want to keep your neck and spine stable until I can rule some things out."

"Oh," she sighed, "alright. Do what you need to do."

Drew nodded, "okay," he replied, seeing Paul walk into the room, "Dr. Cummings, why don't you draw some blood from Candy and then send her to get an x-ray done," Drew suggested, "is there anyone you'd like me to call?" He asked, glancing back at the woman.

"No," Candy shook her head, "it's just me."

Again, Drew nodded and then noticed Paul had his eyes on Candy, "Paul!" Drew snapped lightly, trying to catch his attention.

"Uh, what?" Paul shook his head and looked up at Drew, "what?"

"I said, would you please draw some blood and send it to the lab and then have Candy taken for an x-ray of her neck?" Drew repeated.

"Oh yes, of course," Paul nodded moving towards the counter.

Drew eyed him for a moment as the nurse began to help Paul gather the supplies he'd need to draw blood. Drew could tell that Paul was trying not to look at Candy, but his eyes kept venturing towards her body and Drew rolled his eyes, " _maybe this wasn't such a good idea,_ " he silently told himself, shaking from his thoughts to return his focus to continuing a physical exam to make sure she didn't have any additional injuries that went unnoticed by her or the paramedics.

Kenny joined them moments later, as Drew was examining her and Paul had successfully accessed a vein to draw blood from. Kenny quickly noticed Paul's attention continually drifting towards Candy, "dude, if you let that vial fill up any more it's gonna overflow," Kenny commented, reaching out to snap his fingers in front of Paul's face.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Paul quickly pulled the first vial away and replaced it with another one to draw some more blood, needing a few vials full.

Drew and Kenny exchanged silent smirks, both men getting tons of ideas on pranks they could pull on the intern in the future.

Finally focusing on his task, Paul filled up the necessary vials and then removed everything from her arm and placed a cotton ball on the tiny spot where the needle had been, using a piece of tape to secure it snugly, so she wouldn't continue to bleed.

"Okay, Candy, I don't see or feel any additional injuries we're missing, so you're going to go for an x-ray of your neck and once I have a chance to review it, we'll see about getting that brace off," Drew explained, looking at her.

"Thanks," Candy nodded carefully.

Drew returned her nod and stepped out with her chart to write the orders, while the female nurse and Paul wheeled her out of the exam room, so they could go to x-ray.

"Dude," Kenny smirked, waiting for Paul to disappear down the hallway, before he continued, "he is totally out of it," he laughed, "I mean come on, she's hot, and I'm totally into her, but he's acting like he's never seen a woman before. What do you think?"

"She seems like a nice girl who got hurt at work and is here for our help," Drew replied, trying to remain professional and wondering if Kenny realized what he was asking. Drew felt bad that he used to 'talk' about women with Kenny, so he could keep his secret, but now that he was out, he refused to pretend he was interested or attracted to women, "as for how she looks. I wouldn't know, but Paul is going to have to get over his nerves, because that's no way to act around a patient."

Kenny eyed him for a moment, initially not realizing why Drew sounded different than he usually did when they talked about women, but quickly he figured it out, "oh, crap, Drew, sorry, man, I forgot."

"It's alright," Drew waved off his apology, "it's nice to know you still think of me the same way."

"You're still one of my best friends," Kenny assured him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks and the feeling's mutual," Drew replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket, "I have a call to make."

"Oh, alright, later," Kenny nodded.

~*~

With Candy off to x-ray, Drew grabbed his coffee and headed down the hallway to an empty exam room and closed the door once he was inside. He wanted a break to call his fiancé and actually talk with him, without being interrupted by his coworkers, which is why he didn't go to the staff lounge.

Drew had done his best to stay professional around Candy, Paul and Kenny, even after Kenny's comments to him, but Drew needed a moment to laugh at how Paul was reacting around the blond. Drew knew if he would have continued his conversation with Kenny, they could have laughed over Paul, but there were things that Drew knew only his fiancé would understand, so he quickly called Rick's cell phone.

"Hey, sweetheart," Rick greeted, "everything alright?"

Before Drew could say anything, he burst out laughing. After a moment, he calmed down enough to explain Paul's distraction to the female patient, without breaking doctor-patient confidentiality, and chose to leave his and Kenny's conversation for another time, "I don't know what's up with Paul. I don't think I've ever seen him like this before."

Rick got a chance to laugh about Paul and understood why Drew couldn't tell him any more about her, though he'd told him plenty for Rick to figure out why his fiancé was laughing, "that's funny. I mean, I get how he could be distracted, but I definitely wouldn't be. Girls are not my cup of tea, so to speak."

"Which is why I called you. I knew you'd understand," Drew replied, smiling and taking his pager out to see if he had any messages about lab results being back yet.

"Yeah, I do," Rick agreed, "sounds like Paul is a little inexperienced at being around women."

"I'm definitely thinking the same thing," Drew admitted, "that's got to be the reason he's so distracted," he added, "okay, enough about him, what's up?"

"Not much, but now you have me wondering," Rick commented playfully.

"Oh no," Drew groaned, hearing the playfulness in his voice, "babe, I'm working."

"I know," Rick laughed lightly, "and now I'm curious just what you'd do if a hot guy came into the ER. Would you get distracted?"

Drew smirked, able to tell Rick was teasing him, "I don't know. I don't think so, but," he paused, "there was this one that came in last week."

"Oh yeah?" Rick grinned, thinking he knew where Drew was going with his comment.

"Yeah, he was dressed in Army camouflage. He'd had a rough night and I did my best to visit him a few times, but it was busy in the ER and at the time I wasn't out yet. Then, later, when he was going up for surgery, after someone helped me realize a few things, I knew I couldn't let him go without telling him how I felt. I came out in front of everyone to show him that he meant the world to me."

Rick smiled at the memory, "I remember this really hot ER doctor last week who did something very similar. We must be talking about each other, huh?"

"Yeah, I think we are," Drew replied, taking a deep breath, "in all honesty, I see people from all walks of life every shift. I swear, I only have eyes for you, but there have been times I've thought a guy was attractive. Sorry, babe."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Rick commented, "I get it and I've had similar times. I don't have a problem with you looking, or even touching, as long as it's for medical reasons. I know you're faithful to me, just like I'm faithful to you."

Drew smiled, "how did I get so lucky to have you in my life?"

"I ask myself that same question everyday, because I'm so thankful for us to have each other," Rick explained, "we are definitely very lucky."

"We are," Drew agreed, taking a deep breath, "which makes me feel even worse for the way I treated you that night in the ER," he admitted, looking at the ring on his hand and nervously spinning it on his finger, "I've replayed that night a few times in my dreams and while I'm awake and there were so many times when you were mostly alone that I could have come in and sat with you, talked with you, there were tons of things I could have done without anyone suspecting anything, but I..."

Rick was surprised Drew was bringing that up, but figured their conversation stirred up his thoughts about it, "Drew, don't second guess what you did that night. I was out of it for a while, and we were both trying to hide, in some ways, and anything that happened before you stopped us in the hallway, as far as I'm concerned, is a distant memory and something we can forget. I'd rather focus on the good parts of that day," Rick explained, "I needed you more than anything and it took a bit, but you gave me that and so much more."

Drew cracked a light smile and blinked away tears forming in his eyes, "you are everything to me."

"And I feel the same way about you," Rick replied happily, "you okay?"

"Yeah. I love hearing your voice," Drew smiled, taking a calming breath.

"I love hearing yours, too," Rick smiled, "you know, getting a random phone call from you is really cool and hearing stories like what you just told me about Paul, are so much funnier when I can react with you, instead of waiting a few days to get your email about it."

Drew smiled, "I get what you mean," he agreed, "and having you at home, makes going home after work so much more enjoyable, though, it makes my shift seem so much longer."

"It'll go by fast," Rick replied, trying to stay positive.

"I hope so," Drew's pager beeped in his hand and he flipped it open to look at the message, "hey, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

"Sounds like a plan. Later, babe. Love you," Rick replied.

Drew smiled again, "love you, too, sweetheart."

~*~

Drew returned to the ER to find the x-ray was ready for Candy, so he pulled Paul aside so they could look at it. Soon after, the two doctors moved back into Candy's exam room. Paul looked at the x-ray again and since Drew was happy to see no injuries, he removed the neck brace.

Immediately, she wanted to go back to work, but Drew didn't want her leaving without him seeing the lab results to make sure she was really okay. Drew was then paged for one of his other patients, so he couldn't stay with Candy to keep her there, and as much as he didn't want to, because of how distracted Paul had been, he didn't have a choice and had to put Paul in charge of keeping her there.

By this time, TC and Topher were back with the only survivor from the plane crash and Jordan and Krista were busy with their own emergency, so the ER's pace had picked up a little.

A little after eleven, Drew got an odd page from Paul.

**Paul:** Come to the supply closet quick! I need help!

Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Drew hoped Paul wasn't 'crying wolf' and took off to the supply closet nearby. Pushing the door open, Drew's eyes widened when he saw Candy laying on the floor, "what the hell?" Drew exclaimed, rushing inside, immediately using his pager to send Kenny a message asking him to bring a backboard.

Putting aside the location of where they were, Drew quickly set to work trying to figure out what was wrong with her, while they waited for Kenny to come with a backboard. From some of the symptoms that Drew was seeing, he thought she was having a stroke, and when Kenny arrived, even though he was confused, the three guys got her on the backboard and quickly took her back to the exam room she'd been in to figure out what was going on.

With the help of a few female aids, they changed Candy into a hospital gown and quickly took her up for an MRI. Drew went along with Kenny, so he could see the MRI immediately and not wait for results. When he and Kenny returned with Candy, Paul met them at the elevator and helped them wheel her back to the exam room.

Candy was groggy and semi-conscious, but could move her head around, even though she couldn't speak.

"Obviously she's gonna be out of it for a little while. What did the MRI say?" Paul asked, walking backwards as he guided the bed down the hallway.

"MRI's clean," Drew replied simply.

"That doesn't make any sense. What's wrong with her?" Paul wondered.

"I don't know," Drew told him honestly, "so Paul, give it up. What happened?" Drew asked, finally able to focus on exactly why she and Paul were in the supply closet together.

Paul nervously paused while someone was being wheeled out of a room the guys were about to pass and turned to Kenny and Drew, "uh, she was dancing."

"Dancing?" Kenny raised a curious eyebrow, "what were you doing in the... Oh... Oh... you paid her for a lap dance!" Kenny and Drew exchanged grins and laughed as they put the pieces together, "you paid her for a lap dance!"

At his comment, Paul got distracted and accidentally bumped into a passing nurse. Quickly wanting to change the subject so no one found out, Paul glared at Kenny and Drew, "could we just find out why she's stroking out?"

"Maybe it was all your built up virgin pressure," Kenny suggested with a grin.

"It's not funny, okay?" Paul hissed.

"Candy's condition's not funny! You getting a lap dance in the supply closet is hysterical," Drew retorted harshly, though he kept his voice low so it didn't travel far.

"Give us a heads up next time. I'd cover for you. God knows Drew can keep a secret, too," Kenny added, glancing at Drew.

Kenny's words hit Drew harder than he probably meant them to, but Drew suddenly felt like there was more to them than just giving Paul a hard time. Thus far, Kenny had been supportive of Drew's coming out and his relationship with Rick, so the words stung. Suddenly, Drew became concerned and wanted to confront Kenny to see what he was getting at, but he knew the middle of the ER hallway wasn't the place to talk about it, so he decided to wait until they could have some more privacy.

"There's not gonna be a next time, okay? You're not gonna tell Jordan about the lap dance, right?" Paul asked nervously.

Rolling his eyes, Drew looked at Paul, "I don't think her gyrating on you is related to her condition. Let's just get her in the room and run some [more] tests."

~*~

Quickly, Drew ordered some more tests to be done and once they got Candy comfortable, Paul said he'd stay to monitor her, which gave Drew a chance to follow Kenny and hoped he could talk with him. Kenny was carrying a load of dirty blankets down a quiet hallway, and paused at a soiled linen cart, so Drew knew he had a chance, "so what did you mean by 'God knows Drew can keep a secret'?" Drew asked him, "we cool?"

"Yeah, it was nothin', man. I was just kiddin'," Kenny replied, dropping the blankets off.

"Were ya?" Drew eyed him skeptically, "'cause I thought I heard a little edge in there. You know, had a little something to it," Drew replied as they walked towards the doctor's locker room.

Kenny sighed, "okay, I know it sounds..." He paused, rubbing his chin, "wow, I was about to say 'gay'... Look man, I just, uh, uh..." Kenny nervously pushed the door open, moving into the locker room and towards the supply closet, "I don't care, man. I really don't. Rick seems like a really cool guy and I'm glad he's feelin' better."

Drew was happy to hear that, but he knew he was holding something else back, "hey, spit it out."

The guys reached the shelves of supplies and Kenny turned to Drew, "alright, fine. I was pissed that you didn't think you could tell me. Quite honestly, I still am. I mean, come on, man. It's me. It's me, dude. I would never turn my back on you. Ever. And just knowing that you felt like you had to shoulder this whole thing by yourself and live a lie around me... Man, that kills me," Kenny paused, shrugging, "you're one of my best friends, and it made me feel like you couldn't trust me. I guess I just thought we were closer than that, that's all."

"You're right," Drew nodded as Kenny reached for some of the clean blankets, "it sounded a little gay," he agreed, trying to lighten the mood a little and both laughed at it, "come on, man. You are one of my best friends and I do trust you, but I needed to come out when I was ready and I wasn't until that moment, so you can't take it personal. It's not about you. It was about me. It was my thing, okay?" Drew admitted, hoping Kenny understood, "so we cool?"

Kenny took a moment to contemplate what Drew was saying and nodded, "yeah, we're good, man," he replied, giving him a quick hug and teased him a little, causing both of them to laugh, "anyways, about that Krista situation. Now that she's done beardin' for you, you gonna help me out with her or not, huh?" Kenny wondered, grabbing a stack of clean sheets in his arms.

Drew grabbed a stack himself and added them to Kenny's armload, "dude, I've been trying," Drew replied moving out of the closet and towards the exit, "if you stopped playing so much, maybe you'd get somewhere."

"Playing? I'm not a player," Kenny retorted, following Drew. Drew laughed, "I'm not a player, dude. I just crush a lot," Kenny added.

~*~

It was a little after eleven-thirty when Drew moved back into Candy's room. Paul was there checking her over and Kenny was documenting her vitals. Drew took her chart to look over what test results came back and after seeing them, he sighed and knew it was time to admit he needed help and moved off to find Jordan, hoping she'd have some ideas to what was going on.

Drew went over Candy's condition with Jordan and the two moved into the room as Drew explained. Jordan began doing a brief exam on Candy and she was surprised to find out she had 'collapsed' as she was leaving; Drew and Kenny both helped cover up just how it happened, so Jordan didn't find out about Paul and Candy.

After talking with the guys and checking Candy over, Jordan thought she knew what was wrong and immediately Drew knew what to do, so she left him to continue with her care. Drew was glad for the help and quickly ordered the tests and made a few phone calls.

The lab that would do one of the tests was free, so they came right away to do it and took it to get it loaded into the computer.

Drew, Kenny and Paul were still in Candy's room, keeping an eye on her and suddenly her oxygen levels and blood pressure dropped quickly. Jordan was nearby and heard the commotion as the guys began to work on Candy and Drew asked her if she'd seen the test results yet. Jordan admitted they were clean and now was just as baffled by what was going on with Candy as everyone else was.

Jordan knew they needed more help, so she had TC and Topher paged to come help. They'd been gone with their plane crash victim for quite a while and she figured they'd be able to figure out what was going on with Candy, but until then, she suggested they get Candy on oxygen and hoped that would help her out until they could figure it out.

~*~

At the same time the guys were trying to help Candy, the patient Krista had been working on had a major issue and Jordan was quickly pulled in to help Krista.

While Jordan was gone, Candy's condition worsened and she wasn't responding to what they were doing, so they had Kenny go get Jordan. When she came in, they told her what was going on and she was surprised TC and Topher hadn't joined them to help out. Trying to figure everything out, Jordan quickly ordered Kenny to get some blood for an arterial blood gas panel and when he did, it didn't look like it was supposed to. Drew thought he'd gotten the blood from the wrong spot, but Kenny assured him it was from the right place and Paul suddenly had an idea.

"Go get methylene blue... Now!" Paul snapped quickly.

"Why?" Jordan asked confused as Kenny dashed off to get the drug.

"Earlier, when Candy was giving me a lap dance, she kept mentioning redcurrant UTIs and having trouble getting in to see a doctor. If she was taking over-the-counter UTI meds, [...] and she kept taking too much, it would eventually cause..."

"Met-hemoglobin anemia," Drew jumped in, realizing what he was getting at.

"Yes, that would explain the altered mental status, the stroke symptoms and the unresponsive oxygen levels," Jordan agreed, setting Candy's chart aside.

"That's probably why she fell off the pole in the first place," Drew added.

Kenny returned with the drug and handed the syringe off to Jordan. Immediately, she added it to the IV and within moments, Candy began to positively respond to the medicine.

"I'm sorry, Paul, did you say lap dance?" Jordan asked, suddenly realizing what he'd said, "are you getting lap dances in _my_ ER? "

"Uh, look I need to recheck her vitals... Excuse me" Paul commented, trying to pass off her question and slid past Jordan to do what he needed to.

"Jordan, I need you," Ragosa commented, stepping into the room.

Jordan looked at her boss and then turned to Paul, "we are _not_ done with this, " she commented, before moving out of the room.

As soon as Jordan was out of the room, Paul's phone began to ring and Drew smirked, "man, I gotta hand it to you. I did not think you had the balls to get a lap dance at work."

"Little boy's growing up, huh?" Kenny laughed lightly as Paul stepped out of the room. Once he was out of earshot, Kenny looked at Drew, "this is definitely going to be a night to remember."

Drew nodded in agreement and laughed with Kenny, "oh yeah! Definitely not one I'm gonna forget."

~*~

**Tuesday, July 29, 2014** **('1x07 - Blood Brothers')**

A little after midnight, news quickly traveled that there had just been a chemical explosion at a nearby fertilizer plant. Knowing they'd need more doctors, Jordan went up to radiology to find TC and Topher, because they still hadn't returned from their earlier trip.

Knowing they were the only major trauma center within ten counties, everyone began to scramble to get patients up to regular hospital floors and to clean up all the trauma and exam rooms, while Drew and some others helped stock the rooms with supplies they'd need for the burn victims they'd soon be getting.

Ragosa was at the nurses station and quickly found out that Jordan hadn't returned with TC and Topher and now he was even more curious what was going on. At the same time, Kenny answered the phone and handed it over to Ragosa, telling him it was security. Ragosa had them pull up a video replay of the security camera outside the radiology room and the administrator suddenly realized why TC, Topher and now Jordan had not returned and quickly made another phone call.

Drew thought it was a little odd that TC and Topher had been gone for so long, but with other things on his mind, he hadn't thought much of it. It wasn't until Jordan took off and didn't return right away, on top of hearing the first group of ambulances from the explosion would be there shortly, that Drew really began to worry about what was going on and went to the one person he figured would know something, Ragosa, who'd been at the nurses station making phone calls for the last little while.

Moving up to Ragosa, Drew put his hand on Ragosa's back to get his attention, "hey, what the hell is going on?" Drew asked simply.

"TC, Topher and Jordan are in a hostage situation," Ragosa explained softly.

Trying to stay calm, Drew stared at Ragosa, "what?" He asked as he stiffened nervously.

"Listen," the shorter man rested his hands on Drew's arms and looked up at him, "I need you to step up. Scott is on his way in and we have a lot of victims en route, so right now it is on you, because you're the most senior doctor in the ER, okay?"

Without another word, Drew nodded and took a calming breath, before turning towards the group of people scrambling to get ready for the arrivals, "uh, Krista! Paul! Here," he motioned towards him, "you're in Trauma 3," he motioned to Krista, then pointed to Paul, "you're in Trauma 4. Whatever comes in, you assist on. You're gonna see some scary things tonight. Know the patient is always more scared than you."

"Got it," Paul nodded.

"I'm ready," Krista replied.

"Go," Drew nodded at the two and then turned to the nurse near him, "Jocelyn, you're gonna be in [Trauma] 2 with me," he told her then moved around the nurse's station and saw Landry, "Landry, can you help with intake and assist with triage?"

Landry nodded, "whatever you need," she reached out and put her hand on his arm to calm him, "and Drew, you got this," she assured him, able to tell he was nervous to be 'in charge' at the moment, because Jordan, TC and Topher were nowhere in sight and victims were almost there.

Drew took a deep breath and nodded at her, "thanks."

Suddenly, a team of SWAT officers walked into the entrance of the emergency room, startling everyone standing around. Ragosa went up to meet them and he quickly explained the situation to them, without going into too many details so everyone could hear. The leader of the team wanted to close the hospital down, but Ragosa said they couldn't because of the victims coming there from the explosion, so they could have the second floor where radiology was. The team leader didn't like that answer, but Drew, having seen their arrival, joined Ragosa, "we're the only [major] trauma center in ten counties. Victims are coming here. You gotta figure something else out. Closing isn't an option."

Realizing they wouldn't be able to close down the hospital to deal with the hostage situation, the SWAT officers agreed to take only the second floor and moved off to the elevators, leaving Ragosa at the nurse's station for a moment. The SWAT team was an easy distraction and Drew realized people were a little freaked out by their arrival, so he moved to Ragosa and suggested he should tell everyone what was going on.

As much as Ragosa didn't want everyone to panic, he agreed with Drew, "okay... Oh, man..." Ragosa clapped his hands together and waited until he had most everyone's attention, "um, I'm not going to lie to you. There's a possible hostage situation with TC, Topher and Jordan," he started, hearing gasps from around the area, and continued, "the SWAT team is here to take care of it... Okay... okay... Just listen to me. No matter what you are feeling, no matter how much we are worried about them, we have a job to do. I know it's hard, but everybody is depending on us, so let's focus, dig deep and treat these people like we would our own families, okay?" He clapped his hands together just as the sirens stopped in the ambulance bay, "let's go!"

Within moments, paramedics rushed two burn victims in on gurneys, spouting off their vitals and Molly directed them into specific trauma rooms.

"Alright let's do this, people! We're on!" Drew called out, quickly asking Molly to set up a place for triage. At that same moment, Drew closed his eyes and took a calming breath, telling himself, " _okay, you can do this. Just take it one step at a time. One patient at a time._ "

**12:25am**

~*~

**Tuesday, July 29, 2014 ('1x08 - Save Me')**

It seemed like 'all hell broke loose' just after the first patients arrived from the explosion. Not only was the ER getting busy from victims, the news was reporting that patients were going to San Antonio Memorial Hospital and other 'local area hospitals', so family members of people who could be injured were beginning to fill up the waiting room and overwhelm the people trying to get information from them about who they were looking for.

On top of the family members and patients from the explosion arriving, Drew soon heard that during the hostage situation, Dwayne had been killed and when SWAT stormed the room, the guy holding TC, Topher and Jordan hostage shot Topher and they were rushing him down to the ER.

Drew was saddened to hear about Dwayne and as much as Drew wanted to focus on him and Topher, Drew had to take care of the victims and chose to put his faith in Jordan and TC to take care of Topher. That didn't stop him from asking about Topher when Jordan appeared in one of the trauma rooms Drew was working in, to pull Paul out for something. She admitted it didn't look good, but TC was working on him and Scott was on his way in to help, so she implied to hope for the best and that's what Drew chose to do, putting his focus back on the patients needing his help at the moment, because he trusted TC and Scott.

The minutes blurred by and as Drew walked out of one of the trauma rooms to get something from the nurse's station, he saw Jordan, Kenny, Scott and TC pushing Topher's gurney out of the trauma room and down the hallway, screaming for people to move. Drew immediately grew concerned and asked what happened, with Krista and Paul right behind him, but no one answered as they rushed Topher down to the elevator.

Turning around, Drew looked at Krista and Paul. He could tell both of them were as worried as he was about Topher, but Drew knew they had others to take care of, so he rested his hands on their shoulders, "they'll take care of Topher, so let's just take a breath, relax and focus on the people we can help right now, okay?" He asked and at their nods, the two turned to walk away and Drew took a calming breath, as his mind raced with thoughts, " _Topher's gonna be okay, so take your own advice and relax. There's plenty of people you can help right now, so focus on them. Topher would want you to keep working._ "

**1:13am**

~*~

A/N4: Please review and let me know what you think! I hope this chapter goes along with the episodes well, keeping with what happened, while adding some more Drew moments and putting my own twist on a few things, too.

A/N5: After looking at a map of San Antonio and the surrounding area, I realized there are a lot of hospitals there, so that's why I switched up Drew's comment to say it's the only 'major' trauma center. In our area, we have one major trauma center and a few 'sister' hospitals that have an ER, and we're a lot smaller than San Antonio, so I imagine there would be other emergency rooms around, but maybe not ones to handle the major cases like San Antonio Memorial does in the show.

**Up Next:** The rest of '1x08 - Save Me', including some scenes I think should have been in the episode and the aftermath of Drew's long night.

**Personal Update:** Sadly, my mom passed away Tuesday, September 30, 2014. I miss her so much, but she's no longer suffering, so I'm taking comfort in that and she'll always be in my heart. Thank you for your love, support, thoughts and prayers in this difficult time. It really means a lot to me and my family! Love you all!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Events of The Night Shift '1x08 - Save Me', followed by Drew's return home after work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Spoilers:** Up to 1x08 ~ Save Me; AU afterward  
>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer1: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: This chapter will follow events from The Night Shift '1x08 - Save Me', the season finale. Since most of us have seen it, I'm focusing on things from Drew's point-of-view, so if he wasn't involved directly or wasn't a part of something, I'll only briefly mention it so it flows with the episode.
> 
> **Disclaimer2:** Any similarities to cases and scenes from The Night Shift Episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' or '1x08 - Save Me' are purposely borrowed for this work of fiction. I do not own.
> 
> Underlined text: Quotes from The Night Shift Episodes '1x07 - Blood Brothers' or '1x08 - Save Me'. I don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

**Tuesday, July 29, 2014**

"I love that Drew has so many channels," Gabby grinned, looking through the listings on the cable box to find something for her and Rick to watch.

"I'd love it even more if you'd pick something. At this rate putting a shopping network on would be entertaining," Rick teased, seeing many interesting shows, movies and documentaries in the listings that he'd be okay watching, but she was being indecisive.

They'd already watched a two-hour movie since Terry and Wendy had gone back to Rick's place to get some sleep and both Gabby and Rick wanted to stay up longer, "I know, but I want something entertaining, funny, maybe a comedy, not too romantic, but they're usually enjoyable. Is there such thing as a movie with comedy, action and romance?"

"Probably, but I've been away from most movies since I was deployed, so you're gonna have to pick one. Look, NBC has a rerun of Chicago Fire on. I know you love that show," he commented, motioning to the screen.

"But you don't watch it. I'd spend more time explaining it than I would watching," she replied.

"Who said I'd be watching it for the plot?" Rick laughed.

"Oh my God! I'm telling Drew!" Gabby replied with a laugh, nudging him in the shoulder.

"What?" Rick batted her away and laughed again, "just because I'm engaged, doesn't mean I can't watch a show and enjoy the view, even if I truly only have eyes for my fiancé."

"Okay, I'll give you that one," she smirked, glancing at the TV, "I can't pick," she added, handing him the remote. "How about I go make more popcorn and you find something?" She asked, standing up and grabbing the now empty bowl they'd been eating popcorn out of.

"Oh sure, give me the choice. Then you can complain about what I picked," Rick laughed, looking through the listings again. As he did, he got a text, and expecting it to be his fiancé, he reached for his phone and glanced at it, seeing one from his mom instead.

**Mom (Terry Lincoln):** Oh how horrible! How far is the explosion from here? Do you think Drew's hospital is going to get people from it?

Confused for a moment, Rick contemplated the message, before sending a response back.

**Rick:** Huh? What are you talking about? Are you okay?

**Mom (Terry Lincoln):** Of course I'm alright. I'm just shocked. Wendy and I are watching the news. There was an explosion at a factory.

**Rick:** Oh! Okay. I'll check it out. SAMH is one of the few trauma centers in the area, so he'll probably be dealing with people from it.

Once he understood what was going on, Rick scrolled through the menu again until he landed on one of the local news stations. 'Breaking News: Chemical Explosion' was written across the screen while a female reporter explained what had happened.

"What's this?" Gabby asked, returning with a fresh bowl of popcorn.

"A fertilizer plant nearby had an explosion," he explained, "it looks really bad."

"It does," Gabby nodded, watching the clips from the site, where fires were flowing from the building, fire trucks all over, and tons of people around, injured or helping out, "I know this is going to sound a little bad, but is it selfish to say I'm worried about Drew? His hospital will get patients, right?" She asked looking at Rick as she sat down beside him.

Rick nodded. He'd already heard the hospital's name mentioned as where many patients were being taken too, along with other 'local area hospitals', "yeah, they're getting a bunch, but don't worry about him," Rick assured her, "Drew's a great doctor and he was a great combat medic, so I have faith he's well trained for these kinds of situations."

~*~

**Tuesday, July 29, 2014 ('1x08 - Save Me')**

It was almost two-am, and even though Drew was worried about Topher, he put his focus back on the ER patients and he and Krista began to work on a new arrival, a woman who'd been brought in from the explosion with severe burns over a large portion of her body.

Immediately, they got a tube down her throat to help her breathe and then Drew told Krista the medication she should get her on. He planned to go help someone else while Krista was getting her settled, but Drew could tell she was distracted, "Krista! You with me?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Krista nodded, "yeah," she sighed, having had a lot going on that night, "just with Topher in the OR... and Dwayne..."

"I know it's terrible and we all want to be up there helping Topher, but we're in here. Now, I don't want to be a hard-ass, but you gotta focus," Drew admitted, hating to play the boss card, because he was feeling the same way, but he needed her to focus on what she was doing, because they were already short staffed. TC and Scott were taking care of Topher in the OR, while Jordan and Paul dealt with the shooter in another trauma room, so he needed her clear-headed.

"Okay," she nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Okay," Drew returned her nod and eyed her for a moment, "I'm going to go get some supplies. Are you okay in here for a few minutes?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

Drew stepped towards the door and took his gloves and gown off, dropping them into the garbage. Using some hand sanitizer, he left the room and headed to get supplies.

The TV was on, playing news clips from the factory and Drew was shocked to see how bad it was and now understood why they were still getting patients from it. As he collected some supplies, he couldn't help his mind drifting back to the memories he had of his time as a combat medic in Iraq. He was only over there for six months, but he'd seen more in that time than he figured Krista or Paul would ever see in their time as doctors.

Shaking from his thoughts, he returned to the room he'd just been in and after putting a gown and gloves back on, he moved inside and began to show Krista how to clean and dress the burns on the woman's body.

"I just can't imagine the recovery process from something like this," Krista admitted.

"There isn't one," he replied sadly and though he didn't want to bring up stories from when he was once deployed, he knew it'd explain, "when I was a medic in Iraq, an IED went off and killed three guys. This one guy survived, except the entire right side of his body was burned all the way down to the muscle. A lot of skin grafts, a lot of plastic surgery and a lot of pain."

"Oh God..." Krista gasped, taking a deep breath and shaking her head.

"So let's just focus on making her comfortable and easing her pain. Just one step at a time," he admitted, "I've got other people I need to go see. Are you sure you're gonna be okay to take care of her?" He asked, as he moved towards the door.

Krista nodded, "yeah, I can do this," she assured him.

With a nod, Drew removed his gloves and gown and threw them away, sanitizing his hands as he walked out of the room. Heading for the nurse's station to look at a patient chart, he saw Jordan walking towards him.

"Drew, can Krista handle the [wound care] without you?" Jordan asked leaning against the desk as she reached Drew, who was now writing in a patient's chart.

"Yeah, she's got it now," Drew nodded, smiling at her before turning back to the chart in front of him, not realizing what she was about to ask.

"Molly just told me there was a another explosion at the factory," she commented and when he turned to look at her, she continued, "we're already short staffed, but TC heard us talking about it and he said he'd go. I want him to go home, but he won't. I know you've had a lot going on and I totally appreciate you taking charge tonight, but is there any way you'd be up for going with him? You're the only person I can trust to go to keep an eye on him. He's just... He's way too jacked up after everything that happened tonight."

After seeing the devastating clips on TV earlier and now hearing about a second explosion, Drew completely understood the need for help and he also knew Jordan and TC's history, so if she was concerned, he knew something was going on, so he handed the chart to Molly and nodded at Jordan, "you got it. How you doing?" He asked, moving around her.

"I'm fine... I am," she assured him, but when he looked at her skeptically, she could tell he didn't believe her, so she said it again, "I'm fine. I'll let one of the ambulances know to wait until you and TC are ready and you can catch a ride with them."

Drew knew Jordan wasn't really 'fine', but he could see she was trying to ignore what happened, so he didn't press her anymore and nodded at what she said, before going to the locker room to get what he'd need to take.

He put his stethoscope in his locker and was surprised TC wasn't in the room, doing the same thing, but Drew returned his focus to what he had to do, like getting one of the hospital jackets from the closet. The one he chose was black with a hood and reflective stripes around the bottom, the wrists and hood, with a patch on the back with the hospital's logo and name, along with 'Doctor' printed clearly on it.

Putting it on, he grabbed a larger trauma kit and moved to one of the benches to glance through it. Seeing he had a large selection of supplies, he closed the bag and threw it over his shoulder before heading out towards the ambulance bay.

Before going outside, he took a detour to the room Krista was in, the one they'd been working with the female patient and stood in the doorway, "Krista," he started.

Krista turned and noticed the jacket and med kit, "are you going out there?" She gasped.

"Yeah, there was another explosion and they need help. Don't know when I'll be back, so if you need anything Jordan's here. Landry and Ragosa are helping out where they can, too."

"Um, okay," Krista nodded, motioning to the patient, "is there anything else I need to do?"

"Is the morphine running?" Drew asked and when she nodded, he continued, "there's not much we can do. Just make her comfortable and see if we can find out who she is."

"Okay, I'll see what I can find," she bit her lip, "be careful."

"I will be," he assured her, "see you later."

Knowing the ambulances wouldn't wait long, Drew nodded and turned to jog towards the entrance of the ER. As he stepped outside, he saw TC leaning against the glass door, his jacket matching Drew's. He could immediately tell that something was bothering him and knew why Jordan wanted him to keep an eye on TC; he seemed very distracted, "T, you ready? Let's go..." Drew started, trying to break him from the daze he was in, "T... T, we gotta go... TC, come on! We gotta go," Drew said again, watching him snap out of his thoughts and begin to focus on reality, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," TC nodded, passing off his question.

"I'm going with ya. Just figured I could use the excitement," Drew grinned, trying to keep TC from figuring out the real reason he was going as he jogged towards the waiting unit.

2:42am

Once the two doctors and two firefighters were in the rear of the unit, the driver and his partner, both medics, climbed into the front seats and immediately began racing towards the explosion site as fast as they could with their sirens blaring.

TC sat on the gurney by one of the firefighters, while Drew sat on the bench across from him, giving Drew a way to watch TC. He was trying to gauge what was going on, but he just couldn't place what he was thinking. He knew the night had been very emotional, so it could have stirred up all kinds of memories and Drew briefly worried it had something to do with his time being in the Army. With Jordan having asked him to go along, and knowing she'd dealt with TC in the past, Drew had a good idea it had a lot to do with that, but he also didn't want to ask TC yet, in case he shut down. They were going into a situation where they needed to have the clearest heads possible.

Definitely concerned, but realizing he also had to remain focused, Drew put his worries in the back of his mind temporarily to prepare for the job he'd be doing when they arrived. He realized that in over a year, since he'd been a doctor at SAMH, he'd never gone out to such a major event before. Sure, he had gone out in the field, with other coworkers to help a few injuries in remote locations, but the magnitude of the explosion was a new experience for him.

~*~

Once the news reports began to give the same information over again and replay videos and clips from the factory, Gabby and Rick turned it off for a while and settled on a movie. As it ended just after three-am, they went back to the news to see what had happened and found out there had been a second explosion causing more injuries.

" _What you can see behind me, can only be described as chaos. Firefighters are still trying to put out the factory fire, while medics and other aide workers tend to the wounded and the ambulances are transporting them to local area hospitals for treatment. Some workers have arrived as volunteers, many who are off-duty medics and firefighters. I've also just gotten word that even one hospital has sent trauma doctors to help assist with victims on-site,_ " the female reporter commented, motioning behind her to a sea of ambulances, fire trucks and huge tarps in various colors, where victims were scattered, while cops, firefighters, medics and volunteers ran around, trying to help anyone they could.

Rick glanced at his sister, "what's the chances that Drew is one of the doctors?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "there are other hospitals, so they could be from any place."

After just a few moments, the camera panned to an arriving ambulance. Once it stopped moving, four guys jumped out, two dressed in black jackets, the other two wearing yellow firefighter bunker gear. Immediately the four collected their things and headed towards the victims and the camera got a good view of their faces, "I guess that answers my question," Rick muttered, seeing his fiancé and TC on the screen.

Gabby put her am around his shoulders, "don't worry, bro, he'll be fine."

Rick nodded and took a deep breath, "yeah, he'll be okay," he agreed, reaching for his phone and typing a text message to him.

**Rick:** Just saw you on TV, arriving at the factory. Love you! Be careful!

~*~

3:12am

When they arrived, the guys jumped off the ambulance, grabbed their gear and went right for the victims, scattered around on various colored tarps, representing how severe their injuries were. Immediately, instinct kicked in and both TC and Drew introduced themselves as doctors as they jumped in to help out. The medics around thanked them for coming, because they were overwhelmed with injuries, many being ones they didn't have enough training to treat.

While Drew focused on a group of patients, TC began walking around to see the injuries and began telling the various people where to send some of the minor injuries. He also told them to mark the patients vitals on their bodies with a marker, something he'd done in the Army, as a way to help the medical staff at the hospitals, before he knelt down to help someone, not too far away from where Drew was.

"Doctors!" A fire chief called out, moving towards them, "we got a woman in there. She's pinned under a beam. My guys are trying to get her out, but they're afraid she's taken in a lot of smoke and her breathing is labored."

Drew and TC stood up and Drew eyed the experienced doctor, "two man job?"

TC nodded, "yeah," he replied, as he and Drew began to gather their bags and follow the firefighter, "take us to her."

As they followed, the chief turned to them, "okay, you'll need masks, but I'm warning ya. You've got about five minutes before this thing starts coming down," he admitted, as two nearby firefighters handed Drew and TC air tanks to use.

Drew took a deep breath, glancing at TC, "I think we can handle it," he admitted nervously, " _Wow! I'm about to go into a burning building... Okay, just relax. You're not alone and there's a bunch of guys with you, so you're gonna be fine,_ " Drew told himself as he and TC paused a few feet from the door and had the firefighters help them get their air tanks on and masks set so they could go in.

"You have plenty of air in the tanks. There's a lot of debris and small fires that we're trying to contain, so watch out. We'll lead you in, but the building is unstable so work quick."

"Yeah. Got it," Drew replied, taking a deep breath with the mask on and could tell it worked.

TC nodded as he checked his mask, "yeah, let's go," he motioned into the building.

" _I know I trained as a combat medic and I've seen war, but I never imagined I'd be going into a burning building,_ " Drew thought as he and TC began to move into the factory, while Drew did his best to push aside his anxiety as they followed one of the firefighters.

Halfway to their patient, another firefighter met them, "she's over here!" He called out, guiding them further in, "she's trapped under the debris. She's having trouble breathing. She can't get any oxygen from the mask," he explained as one of the firefighters was using a saw to cut some of the beams pinning her down, while another was trying to protect her from the sparks.

When Drew and TC reached her, TC knelt down and Drew moved to kneel on her other side. As Drew looked up, he couldn't believe he saw TC take his mask off, but before he could say anything, TC took the small oxygen tank from the woman's mouth and leaned over her.

"Her airway's almost closed shut from the swelling. This oxygen ain't doing crap," he commented quickly, coughing a little in the bad air, "okay, Drew, we need to bypass her throat. Prep her neck."

"You gotta put the mask back on," Drew replied, raising his voice so TC could hear him through the mask and all the loud sounds going on around them, while he gathered the necessary supplies and sanitized the woman's neck.

"I can't see a thing through that mask," TC retorted, using a scalpel to carefully cut into the woman's neck. Once he finished, he grabbed a plastic tube and worked it into her neck and attached the balloon to it that they could squeeze it to give her air.

"You in?" Drew asked, trying to focus on the patient, before dealing with whatever TC was thinking about; and he understood it was hard to see in the mask, so he didn't push too much about putting it back on, but if they were there much longer, he'd make him.

"We have to get everyone out of here, doc!" One of the firefighters yelled.

Coughing, TC motioned to the patient, "okay, I'm in. I'm in," he assured them, signaling the guys to finish freeing her while he grabbed his mask and put it back on.

Drew sighed in relief as TC put the mask back on and the two focused on protecting the woman from the sparks while the firefighters cut the last few beams to free her.

Nearby, a gas tank erupted, causing a loud echoing boom throughout the building and Drew watched TC jump and look around, immediately losing focus on what he was doing.

Drew could hear the firefighters talking about a possible gas leak, meaning they had to get moving, so Drew reached over, hoping to snap TC from his daze, "T... TC we done here? We gotta go! They're talking about a possible gas leak!" He called out and in a moment, TC shook from his thoughts and nodded, so Drew looked at the firefighters, "okay, let's go, come on..."

With the beams cut, the firefighters moved them off of her and Drew, TC and a few of the guys helped get her onto backboard. Once she was secured to it, they laid her in a nearby rescue basket, so they could easily carry her and four of the firefighters lifted her up and began to leave the building, while the other firefighters, TC and Drew gathered their stuff and quickly followed behind them.

As he followed the men out, Drew decided to distract himself from where he was, by trying to figure out what was wrong with TC. He was definitely concerned about his friend and as Drew began to replay the last few months in his mind, he realized this wasn't the only time TC'd had problems. Drew could remember things TC had done that were not healthy for him or others, and now with him distracted, and very jumpy at certain sounds, Drew realized the signs were pointing to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It definitely explained everything going on and Drew figured the hostage situation earlier had been a trigger to bring up certain memories he'd suppressed and now he couldn't forget them, which is why he kept getting distracted and losing focus on what he was doing.

Pulling himself from his thoughts as he and the firefighters exited the building, Drew removed his mask and put his focus back on the patient, "let me check her tube and make sure it's secure before we transport her," he called out, stopping the men, "T, you wanna..." Drew looked up and it was at that moment he realized TC wasn't beside him, "T?" He called out, and immediately saw the open door, " _oh God! He's still inside! I have to go in after him,_ " he thought, taking a deep breath and looking at the firefighters, "get her to the rig," he said simply, setting his trauma kit with the woman so he didn't lose it. Once they began to move towards an ambulance, Drew turned and eyed the building, " _I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm not leaving him in there,_ " Drew told himself, "T!" He called again, before putting his mask back on and moving towards the dangerous building they'd just come out of.

Stepping into the building, the mask blurring his vision, Drew looked around, "T! TC!" he yelled, hoping he was near the door, but when he didn't see him, he moved further in, "T, where are you?" He watched where he was going, trying to put aside the creaking sounds of the building, "T, we gotta get out of here now!"

3:35am / 3:36am

Taking a few more steps, Drew finally saw TC, moving around, like he was looking for something, and Drew rushed to him, "hey! What the hell are you doing?"

"I heard somebody yell," TC replied simply, continuing to look around.

"Where?" Drew asked, looking around, but he was pretty sure there was no one.

"I thought I heard someone... I gotta find 'em," TC admitted looking around more.

Moving towards TC, Drew put his hand on his shoulder, "T! The building's clear! No one's here!" He assured him, "it's gonna collapse. We gotta get outta here," he yelled, guiding him towards the exit, "come on, let's go!"

Almost to the exit, TC stopped and looked around, turning to Drew, "are you sure?"

"T," Drew eyed him, "the firefighters have cleared the building. The woman we just saved is the last one, so we gotta get out of here before it collapses. I promise, there's no one else," he told him, putting his hands on his shoulders and guiding him outside.

Once in the fresh air, Drew and TC removed their masks and took off the air tanks and handed them to a nearby firefighter, "okay, let's get her back to SAMH," TC commented, moving towards the waiting ambulance.

Drew's mouth fell open in shock at how easy TC could snap in and out of his daze and followed him to the ambulance. Climbing inside where a medic was pumping the balloon to keep air in the woman's lungs, they handed over her care to Drew and TC. The two medics got into the front of the unit and as the doors closed behind the guys, someone knocked on them to signal it was clear to go.

Silently TC took over pumping the balloon, while Drew focused on her vitals and exactly what was wrong, which he figured out was a fractured pelvis. Drew wasn't sure how to talk to TC, without him getting defensive or saying he's 'fine', but he knew he had to try to get to him somehow, but for the moment, Drew could tell TC was distracted again, even though his hands continued to pump the balloon evenly.

" _I don't even know where to start. I'm really worried about him and Jordan has reason to be concerned. This has to be related to something that happened while he was in the Army, but I don't know what. I know he won't tell me if I ask him directly; I've dealt with guys who have had PTSD. Thankfully, Rick wasn't one of them, but it's definitely a possibility at anytime. TC's distracted, jumpy... Definitely showing symptoms,_ " Drew thought, hearing the driver say they were about ten minutes away, " _I've gotta try to get through to him, but I don't know if he'll let me in._ "

After a few minutes, the driver let them know they were about five minutes away from the hospital and Drew glanced at TC. Drew could tell he was still distracted, but decided to try to talk to him, "that was a great incision you made, considering you were half blind."

Silently, TC continued to pump the balloon and didn't even acknowledge he'd heard Drew.

Drew watched TC for a few moments and suddenly the former Ranger jumped back from where he was sitting and let go of the balloon. Immediately, Drew lunged forward to grab the balloon to continue pumping it, "T! T!" Drew exclaimed in shock.

TC shook his head and leaned forward, "yeah? What?" He asked, taking the balloon back from Drew to continue what he'd been doing.

"You okay?" Drew asked, staring at him for a moment.

"Yeah... Yeah... We almost there?" TC wondered.

"We're five minutes out," Drew replied, studying his features and couldn't wait any longer, "what's going on?"

"Nothing," TC replied, shaking his head, "nothing at all."

"If you ever want to talk, I'm here," Drew told him, deciding not to press him anymore, but he at least wanted him to know he could talk to him.

TC nodded and smiled at him, "I know. Thanks."

After just a few moments, the ambulance came to a stop in the hospital's entrance and Drew turned to open the door and jumped out, "why don't you let me take over and you can go check on Topher," Drew suggested.

"No, I'm fine. The ER needs you," TC replied, as he and the medics helped unload the gurney with the woman on it.

"You sure?" Drew asked, "because it's a basic fracture I can treat."

"I got this," TC replied as they moved into the hospital.

"Fine," Drew sighed, watching the others take the woman into the nearest free trauma room and he gave up trying to push TC for anything right now.

4:03am

Glancing around the ER, Drew saw Jordan talking with Scott, so he headed for her, knowing she'd want to know what was going on and because Drew was just as concerned as she was. Coming up behind her, he rested his hand on her shoulder, "Jordan, you got a second?" He started and when she excused herself from Scott, she turned to him, "he's off."

Jordan took a deep breath and glanced around, "what happened?"

"I mean, I wish I was wrong, but I figured you sent me out there for a reason," Drew explained with a sigh.

"Yeah, okay. Tell me everything," Jordan replied, glancing around Drew to see TC in a room with a patient.

"I've never seen him like this before, but I've seen others like this, after the war. He's jumpy, he's sweaty, he's distracted," Drew paused gathering his words and knowing it was best to tell her everything, "he said he heard a voice."

"He said that?" Jordan asked with wide eyes.

"He could have. Okay, we were in a building. It was chaos. He might have heard one, [but] I don't think so," Drew told her honestly.

"I should have made him go home," Jordan replied firmly.

"We both know that's easier said than done. I tried to get him to let me have the patient; pretty basic open-book pelvic fracture. He wasn't having any of it. He insisted on doing it himself," he explained.

"Okay... I'm gonna try and talk to him, but Drew, could you please just stand by?" Jordan asked, looking him over, seeing smudges of soot on his face and clothes.

"Yeah, he's in Trauma Two," Drew commented, "I'm gonna go shower and change really quick, but I'll be around."

"Okay. Thank you," Jordan replied.

"No problem," Drew said as she moved off to TC, "something's going on and I want to help."

~*~

Moving into the locker room, Drew took the jacket off and emptied the pockets before he put it into the dirty clothes bin. Going to his locker, he cleaned out his scrub's pockets and made sure his things were clean of any residue of the chemicals from the explosion. Grabbing a clean pair of briefs and socks from a bag he kept in his locker and a towel and clean scrubs from a shelf nearby, Drew moved into the bathroom to take a quick shower, hoping to wash away any of the chemicals that had settled on his skin during the time he was at the factory.

As the hot water beat down on his skin, he closed his eyes and tried to relax, but the hectic night had him really anxious and as much as he wanted to stay and help with TC and all the patients, he also wanted to go home and curl up with his fiancé. " _Rick! I never even let him know I was going to the factory! I know I didn't have to and I don't want him to worry about me at work, but I should have messaged him! I'll do that when I'm done._ "

Finishing up in the shower, he changed quickly and moved back into the locker room once he was dressed and went to his locker. Pulling it open, he pocketed some pens and clipped his badge to his shirt, then threw his stethoscope around his neck, glad he'd left it there, because he may have lost it when he was at the factory. Filling his pockets with a few more things he usually carried with him, he grabbed his phone and closed the door, before sitting down to take a breath and send a message to his fiancé.

As he looked at the screen, he saw a text message from Rick and after reading it, he knew that Rick had been watching the news, so he began typing a reply, deciding to not tell him about the night, until he could be with him at home.

**Drew:** Just got back to the hospital. Love you, too! Talk to you when I get home!

Sending the message, he pocketed his phone and moved out to get back to work, reaching the nurse's station where Krista was standing. He noticed she and Ragosa were looking into the room where the patient he'd brought in from the factory was and Landry was speaking with a guy who was rushing into the room.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously.

"We thought his wife was our patent, the one we were working on before you left," Krista admitted, "so we'd told him and he's been in with her. The woman that just came in is actually his wife, so they've just been reunited."

~*~

Realizing they'd misidentified the woman, Krista and Landry had quickly decided to figure out who she was, so they could reunite her with family. With things having settled down a little in the ER, Drew decided to go up to see Topher, but as he reached the recovery floor, he found that Topher was being rushed back into surgery due to emergent complications and Jordan was also there, so he and Jordan stood outside the OR, while Scott and Kenny rushed inside to start surgery, both ER doctors ready to assist if needed.

4:48am

Drew hadn't seen TC since they'd gotten back, but while he was standing outside the OR, TC appeared and rushed inside, wanting to know what was going on. Since he hadn't scrubbed up, Drew tried to stop him, but he completely ignored him and got gowned up as Scott explained that Topher was bleeding and they had to fix it.

Immediately, TC began to shout that Topher couldn't die and he had to stop the bleeding, so he rushed forward, but Scott realized something was wrong with TC and told Kenny to stop him. Quickly, Kenny turned to hold TC back and Drew rushed in to help restrain TC, who was shouting and fighting against the guys.

TC did not like being pulled away and he was fighting against Kenny and Drew's strength, but Drew refused to let him go as he guided him out of the OR and down the hallway.

"Calm down!" Drew exclaimed.

"It's us!" Kenny added, "it's cool!"

The two men headed for the elevators, knowing if they left him on that floor, he'd end up back in the OR. As they got onto the elevator, TC calmed down a little and pulled off the gown he had on him and threw the gloves on the floor, still muttering "he can't die".

"Topher's not going to die," Drew told him, hoping to calm TC down, "just relax."

"I have to save him!" TC struggled to free himself from Drew.

Drew refused to let him go as he and Kenny walked him towards the employee lounge, which is when a security guard saw them struggling with TC and moved to assist them, pulling out handcuffs.

Getting into the lounge, the guard grabbed TC's hands and cuffed them in front of him and as much as Drew didn't want TC to be restrained like that, he was in such a frantic state, he needed to be held back until he calmed down.

As the cuffs wrapped around his wrists, TC began to snap out of the haze he was in and looked around. Drew could tell he wasn't struggling as much and glancing at Kenny, he eyed TC, "now, are you going to keep fighting?" Drew asked.

TC shook his head 'no' and Drew slowly loosened his grip on him, relieved he was calming down.

Unsure what to do and knowing Drew was closer to TC than Kenny was, Kenny looked at Drew, "um, is everything okay?"

Drew glanced at TC, who had plopped down on a couch nearby, "we're good," he replied, "I can handle it, if you need to go back to the OR."

"I do," Kenny admitted, and nodded at them before slipping out of the room.

The security guard silently sat down in a chair near TC and Drew moved to sit next to TC, "alright, what's going on?" Drew asked, "talk to me."

TC took a deep breath and sighed, "I don't know what to say."

"Let's start with what's been distracting you all night," Drew suggested.

"I've been having flashbacks of when my brother was killed," TC said softly, looking down.

Drew knew a little about TC's brother and how he was killed, but he didn't know the whole story. Resting his hand on TC's shoulder, Drew looked at him, "you were there, huh?"

"Yeah," TC replied, nodding lightly, "and it's been playing over and over again. It won't stop."

"Maybe if you talk about it, you won't continue doing that," Drew offered softly, squeezing the man's shoulder gently.

Before TC could say anything, Krista rushed in, not realizing what was going on, "Drew! Her name is Mary!" She exclaimed happily, but froze when she saw TC in handcuffs.

Drew looked up at her, "that's cool, but I'm busy. Can you give me a few..."

"Go, we can talk later," TC commented, interrupting him.

"Are you sure?" Drew asked, looking at him, "you know I'll listen."

"I know you will," TC smiled weakly, "but your patient needs you. We'll talk later. I won't freak out again."

"I'll keep an eye on him," the security guard added, nodding at Drew.

Drew eyed TC and took a deep breath. Krista had stepped out into the hallway to wait for him and Drew stood up, his hand still on TC's shoulder. He hated leaving him, but with TC's insistence, Drew knew they could talk anytime, "call me if you need me," Drew told him, squeezing his shoulder gently, before stepping away.

"Hey, Drew?" TC said, as Drew reached the door and when the resident turned around, TC smiled lightly again, "thanks."

Without hesitation, Drew smiled and nodded at him, "anytime," he replied, before finally stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

5:09am

"I'm sorry. I had no idea you were handling something. What's wrong with TC?" She asked.

"Not my place to explain," Drew replied as they walked down the hallway, "you said her name was Mary?"

Realizing Drew didn't want to talk about it, Krista nodded, "um, yeah. We were able to match her description with a family member's report, and when I asked her if her name was Mary, she responded to it. The family member who called was her mom in New Orleans, and I've already called to let her know about her condition, but unfortunately she won't be able to get here, um, before... Mary's not doing so good," Krista explained, "so I told her mom I'd see what I could do about having her talk to Mary on the phone."

Drew nodded, taking a deep breath, "she's not going to make it?"

"No," Krista replied softly, explaining what had gone on while he'd been gone, "I don't know what to do."

"That's easy," Drew said softly, resting his hands on her shoulders, "we go sit with her and call her mom. We put it on speakerphone and let her mom talk to her and we stay, so she's not alone. There is nothing humanly possible we, as doctors, can do, so now it's up to God, Mother Nature, or any other higher power one believes in, to take control."

Krista nodded and pulled out her phone, "I called from my cell phone, because the phone lines here were too busy."

"Okay, then let's go in," Drew replied.

Moving to gown and glove up, Drew went inside Mary's room and sat down in a chair next to her and took her hand, while Krista called Mary's mom and spoke with her briefly, before she came into the room.

Krista walked right up to the head of Mary's bed and leaned over, "we tracked your mother down in New Orleans, Mary."

"She's not going to be able to get here, but we're gonna be right here with you. We will not leave your side," Drew promised, squeezing her hand gently.

"I have her on the phone. Your mother, she wants to talk to you," Krista explained, putting it on speaker and telling the woman to go ahead and talk to her, moving the phone close, so Mary could hear.

As the crying woman began to speak to her daughter, Krista confirmed she could hear her and Drew took a deep breath to keep himself calm. It was an emotional moment and he wished he could do more to help Mary, but he knew there was nothing else to do except make her as comfortable as possible and wanted to stay strong for her.

Drew could also tell Krista was very emotional about what they were doing and he wanted to support her. He had heard some things about the patient she'd worked with earlier in the shift, but since he'd been so busy, they hadn't had a lot of time to talk, so he wanted her to know he was there for her, too.

While Mary's mom stayed on the phone, Krista and Drew chatted lightly and Krista told Drew about the patient she'd dealt with earlier in the shift who was bulimic. She explained how the parents had refused to allow their daughter to be kept for proper treatment, which resulted in their daughter swallowing a scalpel and Krista and Jordan having to surgically remove it in the trauma room, before she was rushed off to surgery. Krista then went on to explain how she'd gone off on Landry, Jordan and the parents about the girl, because she'd had the same eating disorder in high school.

Drew admitted he was very surprised, but was glad she trusted him enough to share. He definitely agreed she'd had a rough night and promised that what she told him didn't change how he saw her and assured her he'd be around if she ever wanted to talk.

Krista appreciated that and said she'd talk to him again, but she didn't want to talk about it anymore, at that time; she'd just wanted to tell him, because she didn't want him hearing it from anyone else, if it was spread around the ER.

Sitting with Mary, the two doctors, though talking lightly, continued to watch Mary's vitals. Soon her blood pressure, pulse and oxygen levels began to decrease and they knew she was having a hard time fighting. Sadly, just before six-am, she passed away and Drew and Krista shared their deepest condolences with her mom, who was on the phone while Mary passed and the mother thanked Drew and Krista for staying with her, so she wasn't alone.

Turning off the monitors, Drew removed the breathing tube and carefully covered Mary's body with a sheet, "rest in peace, Mary," he said softly as Krista left the room.

Taking his gloves and gown off, Drew followed Krista and after sanitizing his hands, he moved over to her at the nurse's station, "hey, you okay?"

Krista shrugged, "I don't know if I can handle much more loss. It's so hard."

"I know. It's hard on me, too, but I know we did everything we could," he replied, resting his hand her shoulder.

"I keep trying to tell myself that, but it's not working," she replied, "I'll work on her chart."

"Just take a deep breath and relax, go grab a coffee or something if you need to," he suggested, seeing she'd calmed down a little, but was still shaken by the night.

"Okay," Krista nodded, "thanks."

Drew returned her nod, before moving towards the doctor's lounge, wondering if TC was still there. Seeing the room was empty, Drew went back to the nurse's station, just as Landry and Ragosa walked out of the waiting room.

"Drew, may I have a word?" Ragosa asked, stepping towards him.

"Yeah, what's up?" Drew wondered.

"I'd like to say thank you for stepping up tonight. You jumped right in without hesitation," Ragosa explained, patting him on the upper arm, "it's nice to know I can depend on you in a crisis. I appreciate that and I know the others do, as well, so thank you."

"No thanks needed. I was just doing what I was trained to do," Drew shrugged, trying to pass off the compliment, "but it's nice to be noticed."

"You definitely are," he smiled, looking around to see many of the night shift employees were around, "night shift staff," Ragosa said a little louder, "great job tonight. I know it was one long shift, but thank you," he paused and could see the tired faces on many, "I know there's still some time left in the shift, but if you're done with or caught up on your work, night shift, go home. It's been a long night and I think we could all use some sleep."

~*~

Since a lot of the day shift employees had come in, it wasn't hard for the night shift crew to start to leave early, and though Drew had hoped to catch TC, he didn't see him, so he went into the locker room to change and found him in there changing clothes, "hey, there you are. How'd you get out of the cuffs?" Drew smirked.

"Magic," TC laughed, tugging his t-shirt on.

"You doing alright?" Drew asked, "sorry about earlier."

"I get it. Don't worry about it. Thanks for all you did and if you have a few minutes, I'd like to tell you what's been on my mind," TC told him.

Drew nodded, "yeah, let me change and I'd be happy to listen."

TC nodded and closed his locker, taking a seat on one of the benches to wait for Drew.

Quickly changing, Drew made sure he had everything, shouldered his bag and soon he and TC were heading outside into the warm San Antonio morning.

TC started telling Drew about how his brother had been killed, including how he hesitated to kill the shooter and he'd been blaming himself for all those years, because if he hadn't hesitated, his brother wouldn't have been shot.

"Oh my God, TC. I am so sorry," Drew commented, resting his hand on his friend's shoulder, "I had no idea."

"No one did. I... I've been trying to keep it bottled up, but I just couldn't anymore. And then when Topher got shot, I couldn't lose another brother and the memories just kept flooding my mind and I..." TC ran his hand though his hair and sighed, "tonight I cracked and I'm sorry you had to deal with my issues."

"TC, it's not your fault and you have nothing to be sorry about," Drew told him honestly, "it's what friends, brothers, do," he assured him, "we're there for each other."

"I appreciate it so much," TC smiled as they reached Drew's SUV, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Drew smiled, "are you going home or are you going to stay here?"

"I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on Topher for a while," TC replied, "you should go home. I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing Rick. Go, we can talk anytime."

"You sure? I don't mind staying if you want to talk more," Drew told him, opening his back door and throwing his bag onto the seat and closing it.

"I'm sure," TC replied, "again thank you and I'll see you tonight."

Drew eyed him, "you're gonna work tonight?"

"Yeah. I feel better now that I've told you and Jordan. I know I'm far from over this, but I'll get there," he assured him.

"Okay," Drew smiled at him, "call me if you need anything. I'll see you next shift."

~*~

After everything that had gone on and the things he'd learned, Drew was drained. He wanted to be there for his friends, but he also needed time to recharge and all he could truly think about was getting home to Rick. It'd been one hell of a night and he knew they'd all be feeling the emotions for some time.

Pulling into his driveway a little after seven, glad he'd been able to get off a bit early, he climbed out, gathered his things and headed inside. Immediately, he noticed the TV was on, but muted, as the local news played and as he closed the door and went to set his bag by the back of the couch, he found Gabby and Rick. Rick was on the longer couch, his head resting on a small throw pillow and his legs up on another pillow, while Gabby was stretched out on the love seat.

Just seeing Rick put a smile on his face. Drew moved around the couch and gently sat next to his fiancé, resting a hand on his arm and leaning over to press a kiss to his lips, "morning sweetheart," he whispered, hating to wake him up, but knowing he wouldn't care.

Rick faintly heard the door, but didn't stir much, until he felt movement next to him and smiled when his fiancé kissed him, "morning, love," he opened his eyes as Drew pulled back from their kiss. It was then Rick saw him and could immediately tell something was wrong. Silently shifting backward and to his side, he patted the couch next to him, "come here."

Drew didn't hesitate to lay down, settling against his chest and relaxing as his fiancé draped an arm over him and rested his chin on his shoulder, "I needed this," Drew admitted softly.

"You wanna talk about it?" Rick wondered, his hand gently trailing over Drew's arms and abdomen in soothing motions.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Drew replied with a sigh, "you wanna know how a simple plane crash rescue turned into a hostage situation? Or how said hostage situation ended with the death of our radiology tech and the shooting of Topher, who we almost lost from complications? Then there's what happened at the factory; I went into a burning building with TC to rescue a trapped patient and then went back inside to get TC who has been having some PTSD issues. Back in the ER, Krista and I held on to the hand of a woman who's body was so badly burned she couldn't even move or talk to her mom on the phone, because there was no way her mom could get there before she passed away. The only thing we could do was make her as comfortable as possible with pain meds and we sat with her until her body shut down from the extreme trauma of the burns. There's more, but I can't think clearly right now," a tear slipped down his cheek and he clenched his eyes closed, "I just wanna forget that shift ever happened."

Rick figured it had been an intense night, but he had no idea just how bad it really had been. Tightening his arms around his fiancé, he pressed a kiss to his cheek and held him close, "I'll listen to anything you'd like to tell me and if you'd rather not talk about it, that's okay, too. Just know I'm here and will listen if you do want to talk," Rick told him honestly, curious about the hostage situation he was talking about, but he didn't want to push him, "and with what you said, I'm so glad you're here in my arms. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Drew smiled lightly and nodded, soaking in Rick's comfort, "I feel the same way," he murmured, "and thanks. I want to talk, but I can't focus on any one thing right now."

"Then don't," Rick replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "just relax and we'll talk later."

"Okay," Drew nodded and shifted back, turning so he could look at Rick, "I missed you."

Rick leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips, "missed you, too. Now relax," he smiled, settling in to get a few more hours of sleep.

Drew let his eyes close and begged himself to relax, needing sleep to recharge from such a draining shift.

~*~

Drew hoped for a few hours of sleep, but it seemed like he'd only just closed his eyes, when he woke from a bad dream so quickly that he jumped and accidentally rolled onto the floor. "Shit!" He hissed, groaning as he landed on his stomach.

Rick woke quickly when Drew fell and leaned over, "you okay, babe?"

Drew rolled to his back and for a moment took stock in how he was feeling and nodded, "yeah, I'm fine," he pushed himself to sit up, leaning against the couch and staying there for a moment to get his bearings.

Kissing the top of his head, Rick smiled, "good. I'm glad," he replied, shifting to sit on the couch, "bad dream?"

"Yeah," Drew shrugged, glancing at his watch, surprised to see it was after noon, "did we really sleep that long?"

"I guess we did," Rick nodded, looking at his own watch. It was then he noticed the note on the coffee table and reached for it, "Drew and Rick - we didn't have the heart to wake you guys, so we were quiet and went to the store around 11 after we had something to eat. Should be back in a little while. Love you both - Wendy, Terry, Gabby," he read out loud, smiling lightly.

"I admit, I wasn't thrilled when they came, but I'm glad they did," Drew pushed himself up to sit beside Rick on the couch.

"Yeah, they've been a big help. I almost don't want them to leave, but they can't stay forever," Rick commented, taking a deep breath.

"True," Drew agreed, "we'll figure something out. Wanna go shower before they get home?"

"Only if you tell me what scared you enough that you fell off the couch," Rick replied, eyeing him concerned.

"I had a bad dream that the building collapsed before TC and I could get out the second time," Drew muttered, rubbing his face with his hands.

Rick wrapped his arms around him and kissed his cheek, "but it didn't."

"I know," Drew replied, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Rick's chest, "I'm so glad I can be myself with you. You're one of the few people I let see me crack."

"I feel the same way about you and I'm glad we have that trust, because we're gonna be together in good times, and in bad," Rick told him smiling.

Drew grinned as he recognized the phrase said during a wedding, "yeah we are," he nodded, shifting to hug him, "now, about that shower..."

Rick couldn't help a light laugh escape his lips as he looked at Drew, seeing the playful twinkle in his eye, "you just want to get me naked, don't you?"

"Not _just_ , but that is definitely a benefit," Drew grinned, wanting to focus on the good things in his life, so he wasn't dwelling on his rough night, "and I love spending time with you."

~*~

With a little experience showering together, it was easier for them and Drew and Rick enjoyed the time together a lot more. Soon they were back in their room, getting dressed and Drew wrapped up Rick's leg. He was happy to see the wounds were healing well and removed a few loose staples, not too concerned because he had plenty more holding the skin together.

When they left the bathroom, they'd heard their moms and sister had returned, so the guys finished up in their room and headed for the kitchen, both hungry and realizing they hadn't eaten anything.

"There you two are," Wendy smiled, walking over to them and giving her son and soon-to-be son-in-law a hug, "did you guys get some sleep?"

"Yeah, a little. Wasn't the most restful, but it helped," Drew shrugged.

"Why didn't you go to bed when Drew got home?" Terry wondered, putting something away.

"I don't know, I guess I was just so out of it when I got home that I just needed him and didn't think about going to bed," Drew replied, looking at Rick who sat down at the table.

"I was more concerned about him than I was where we laid down," Rick added.

"Was it a tough night from the explosion?" Gabby asked, "we saw you and TC arrive at the factory when we had the news on."

"Yeah, that made it tough, but," Drew paused and sat down next to his fiancé, taking a deep breath and slowly moving on to explain everything he'd pieced together about the hostage situation, about losing Dwayne and how Topher had been shot, purposely leaving what TC and Krista told him out of the explanation; it wasn't his place. He also told them about the woman he and Krista sat with and how hard it was for him to not really be able to do anything other than make her as comfortable as possible with pain medication.

"Oh my God!" Terry gasped, "is there anything we could do for Topher or his family?"

"I don't know," Drew admitted honestly, "I guess we never really talked about it. I'll find out when I go back to work tonight."

"You're going back so soon? After everything that happened?" Wendy asked quickly.

"I am. It was an emotional night and I'd rather forget it, but I have a job to do. I wasn't the only one dealing with stuff last night and the entire shift can't take the night off," Drew replied, "I'm better than I was. I've talked about it, I've shaken off a lot and now I'm just trying to put the past behind me and deal with right now."

Wendy walked over to her son and slid her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I feel horrible for Dwayne and Topher's family, but I'm so glad you weren't involved in that hostage situation," she murmured, holding him close.

"We all are," Rick agreed, resting his hand on Drew's knee.

Drew took Rick's hand in his and pressed a kiss to it gently, "there's nothing that's gonna stop me from growing old and gray with you, okay?"

Rick smiled and shifted his chair closer to Drew and then wrapped his arms around his younger fiancé and kissed him lovingly, "sounds like a plan to me. I love you so much."

Settling against him for a moment, Drew smiled happily, "love you, too, always."

~*~

A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed! Please review and let me know! Thank you to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and for all the love, support, thoughts and prayers you've sent me and my family in this difficult time. It truly means the world to me! Love you all!

A/N5: Posting today, November 11, 2014, in honor of Veterans Day, since Drew, Rick, TC and Topher are Veterans. I was going to post yesterday since they began filming the second season of The Night Shift, but I decided today was more fitting... Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all the men and woman who have served or are serving in the military!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick has a flashback to the accident and another Alister makes a surprise visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Spoilers:** Up to 1x08 ~ Save Me; AU afterward  
>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D

**Tuesday, July 29, 2014**  
After the five family members had lunch, they moved into the living room. "Do either of you guys know a good laundromat?" Terry wondered, "we need to do some laundry and your apartment ones are awfully expensive."

Drew and Rick exchanged glances and laughed, "I know one pretty close by," Rick replied.

"What's it's name?" Terry asked, pulling out her smartphone to look up the directions.

"La Casa de mi Amor. Can't miss it," Rick replied with a smirk, "same place I've done mine for the last... what? Five years?" Rick asked, glancing at Drew, knowing he'd moved into the place when he'd started medical school, just after they got together.

"How do you spell it?" Terry replied oblivious at what he was meaning and then looked up to see her son and Drew both trying not to laugh, "what?"

"Mom, 'La Casa de mi Amor' in Spanish means 'the house of my love'," Gabby commented with a grin.

For a moment, Terry contemplated what was said and then blushed, "oh! I didn't realize you had a washer and dryer here," she admitted, "sorry."

"I didn't either," Wendy replied, "I've never visited long enough to need laundry done."

"As you walk into the garage, there's a corner for it near the door," Drew motioned towards the door into his small garage, "you're all welcome to use it."

Happy to have a place to wash clothes, both moms headed out to their cars and collected their bags, coming inside a few moments later and moving into the garage. Just as they opened the door, Drew glanced at his fiancé, "you think they'll notice the motorcycle?" He asked softly, immediately realizing it was uncovered in the garage.

"Andrew Michael Alister, what in the world is this?" Wendy exclaimed.

"I think they did," Rick smirked, "I got this. It's mine, I'm not letting you take the heat for it."

"Yeah, but I didn't let it sit while you were gone. I took it out once and a while," Drew replied softly as Rick stood up and tucked his crutches under his arms.

"Maybe so, but I bought it and you may have been my boyfriend at the time and I had no problem with you riding it, but you were only taking care of it. I'm not gonna throw you under the bus..." The cliché just slipped out and Rick immediately closed his mouth and turned his gaze to the floor. The words seemed to trigger pieces of memories from the accident to rush forward and he quickly plopped back down on the couch, dropping his crutches, "no... no... I don't want to remember," he hissed, clenching his eyes closed and resting his head in his hands.

Gabby and Drew exchanged concerned looks as they witnessed Rick having his first big flashback to the accident. Drew, sitting near his fiancé, slid closer and reached out, gently putting his hand on his back, but that caused Rick to flinch, so Drew pulled back, "Rick, it's Drew... Talk to me."

"I..." Rick tried to say something, but all he could focus on was the screams and sounds echoing in his head and the memory of how he'd been trapped and how much his leg hurt before he passed out. He couldn't remember much more, but what he did, was enough to make him want to forget it all for good. In reality, there was only a dull ache in his leg, but as his heart raced and he remembered how much his leg had hurt, it made him feel like his leg was really on fire, "there were so many screams and the metal-on-metal screeching hurt my ears and... and my leg hurt so bad," Rick choked out, rubbing his leg.

Shifting, Drew put his arms around his fiancé and pulled him close, feeling Rick's body shake from emotions. "It was horrible," Drew murmured, gently rubbing his back, "but I'm here."

Rick turned a little and slid his arms around Drew, unable to hold back the tears that fell from his eyes, "I... I was so scared and I was trapped and... I remember worrying I'd never see you again," he murmured, hating that he was cracking under the pressure of the memories, but he needed to get it out, "I don't want to remember it anymore."

Drew held on to him tightly, "I know you don't," he agreed softly, "and I'm sorry you had to remember, but I think it's good you did, because look at how far you've come. You did see me again, you're home and I'm right here," Drew pulled back a little to look at Rick, his hands resting on his cheeks, gently wiping away his tears, "I got you."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Rick took a deep breath and nodded, leaning into Drew's touch, "I know you do," he smiled weakly. "Sorry," he added after a few seconds.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Drew told him, "God, Rick, I'm surprised it took this long to remember something from the accident," he admitted honestly, "and I can only imagine how painful it is to remember, but just know I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Rick smiled again and opened his eyes, nodding, "thanks," he replied, shifting to hug him again as he calmed his racing heart. After feeling Drew's arms tighten around him again, Rick took another calming breath, "God, I feel like a hormonal woman right now," he muttered, laughing lightly.

Drew could tell Rick was joking, so he was feeling better, which let Drew calm down himself and laugh at his words.

"Hey! Being hormonal is not easy!" Gabby laughed from a few feet away, "it takes practice!"

Both guys laughed at her response and Drew looked at Rick, "sweetheart, I can assure you you're nothing like a woman," he replied with a grin, "and you have every right to be emotional."

"But I thought I was handling it better," he replied softly, refusing to move from Drew's arms, "like I'd just forget it ever happened and move on."

"You will, eventually," Wendy commented from nearby, she and Terry having come in at the tail end of the conversation, "but right now, it's not surprising to have moments after what happened, though what started this?"

"I wasn't thinking and just said 'throw you under the bus'," Rick replied with a sigh. "I don't..." He took a deep breath, "I know what PTSD is and I refuse to go there. I've seen it destroy people's lives and I'm gonna fight to keep that from happening to me. It was a painful accident and I just want to move on from it and put it behind me."

At the mention of those four letters, Drew immediately thought of TC, but kept that thought to himself, though was glad to hear that Rick was willing to fight to keep that from happening, "you have put it behind you, but like mom said, it's not surprising to have moments like this, brought on by a random word or action. It's what you do when you have those flashbacks that matters. Talk about them with someone, me, our moms, Gabby, anyone and if you'd rather have a medical professional to talk with, Dr. Alister is always on call for you and I know Landry would listen."

Rick smirked at Drew's way of separating his personal and professional life, but appreciated that either way, he was there, "how did I luck out and find someone as amazing as you?" He asked, pulling back a little to look at his fiancé, "I don't think I could honestly have gotten this far without you."

Drew smiled and returned Rick's gaze, "I'm glad you feel that way, but I think you could have. You're stronger than you think you are," Drew told him, "but if you wanna talk luck," he pressed a kiss to Rick's lips, "I think," he paused, trying to figure out exactly how to say what he wanted, "we're both pretty lucky. If I had been looking, I know I never would have found someone as perfect for me as you are. We've got plenty in common, and enough differences that help balance each other out and we started as friends and became best friends quickly, so we had a chance to truly know each other before our romantic relationship started. Not everyone is lucky enough to get a chance like that and I wouldn't trade our lives for anything."

The room fell silent for a moment, the women having never heard how either of the guys truly felt about their relationship, other than that they loved each other and were happy together. Rick leaned into his fiancé as the words settled his racing heart from the emotional moment he'd had earlier and smiled at him, "I couldn't have said it better myself."

~*~

It took a few moments for Rick to completely calm down and Drew really helped him. Gabby, Terry and Wendy were happy to see how close they really were. In the time Drew and Rick had been a couple, the guys had taken a few brief trips to Washington to visit Rick's family. Rick had been a little more open about his sexuality with his immediate family, his parents, siblings and spouses to his siblings, so Gabby and Terry had been around them together, but in the past, they'd never shown as much physical or verbal affection towards each other, so it was refreshing to see them in their own comfort zone.

Wendy, being the only Alister to know about Drew's sexual preference, was extremely happy to see her son so happy and loved to see how close the two men were. She only wished Drew would tell the rest of his family, because she knew their family. Though his sisters and father may be surprised, Wendy knew they'd support him and happily welcome Rick to the family like Wendy had. She did understand his reasons for keeping that from them, which is why she never said anything to anyone; she knew he had to be ready, but that didn't mean she couldn't hope he'd soon be ready to tell the rest of the Alisters.

Shaking from her thoughts, Wendy looked at her son, "alright, care to explain the motorcycle out there?" Wendy motioned towards the garage.

The guys exchanged glances, both having hoped they'd drop it, "I was taking care of it for a friend while they were on deployment," Drew replied, knowing it wasn't a complete lie; Rick was his friend... but so much more.

"Right. And I'm supposed to believe that you just happily offered to watch your friend's bike while he was on deployment? Do you know how dangerous those bikes are?" Wendy asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rick held up his hand, not wanting Wendy to start on Drew, knowing soon Terry would take over giving Rick a hard time about it, "Wendy, he's been taking care of it for me."

"What?" Terry and Wendy gasped at the same time; Gabby had heard them talking about it earlier.

"The bike is mine. I got it about a year and a half ago. I'd just been promoted to Captain, I'd had a birthday and had found out I'd be deployed for over a year, so I knew I wouldn't be home for my next birthday, so I traded my car in on it," Rick explained, "so if either of you are gonna be mad at someone, be mad at me. Don't get mad at Drew."

Terry glared at Rick, "what were you thinking? Buying a motorcycle? Do you know how dangerous they are?"

"I had always wanted a motorcycle, but I didn't want to have it in Seattle; there's too many hills to go up and down, so I figured since I was here and had gotten another promotion, I deserved to splurge on something I wanted," Rick explained, "and I'm careful and it's not like I'll be riding it anytime soon," he motioned to his leg.

Rick's mom took a deep breath and contemplated what he said. She did remember he'd wanted one, but was shocked he'd actually gone through with it, "okay, I do get that, but I never imagined you'd actually get one. And I'm sure if you'll be able to walk with a prosthetic that you'll be able to ride it."

"We'll see," Rick shrugged, not wanting to get too optimistic in case he couldn't, "maybe I will be able to. I don't know. What I do know is right now I'm focused on healing and walking again... To stand up and face my fiancé without the need for crutches or him holding me up," Rick glanced at Drew and smiled, "I will walk," he added firmly, "I just... I don't want to set too many big goals right now. What's the saying? 'One step at a time'?"

Drew nodded and pressed a kiss to Rick's lips, "yes it is and I'm gonna be by your side every step of the way."

~*~

Letting the conversation settle, the moms moved into the kitchen to start making dinner and Gabby offered to help, giving the guys some alone time. While the two stretched out on the couch together, Rick's phone began ringing, so he reached for it. Seeing a strange number, Rick almost didn't answer, but decided to, "hello?"

"Hi! I'm Ariel from Eagle Orthotics and Prosthetics in San Antonio. Is this Richard Lincoln?" She asked.

"It is," he replied.

"Hello, Mr. Lincoln. I'm calling because Dr. Scott Clemmens referred you to a friend at another clinic, but he's booked solid for quite some time. Dr. Clemmens' friend thinks your situation would benefit from the work of our prosthetist Dan Goodman," she explained, "is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, it is. That's cool," Rick replied.

"Great! I was calling because I'd like to set up an appointment with you for an initial visit with Dan. He'll go through what the process will be in making and using your prosthetic and answer any questions you may have," the woman explained.

"Okay, that sounds good. When can we set it up?" Rick wondered, reaching for Drew's phone to use it to take notes down.

"I have an opening at ten-am tomorrow. Is that too soon?" She asked.

"Um, hang on a second," Rick put the phone on mute so she couldn't hear what he was saying and turned to Drew, "you think you can take me to a ten-am appointment with the prosthetic maker tomorrow?"

Drew nodded, "yeah, that's a good time."

Rick nodded and returned to his conversation with the woman on the phone. She gave them their address and phone number, along with some information of what he'd need to bring when he came in and he ended the call soon after. "Wow, that's soon."

"It is. You ready for it?" Drew asked, not wanting to push him.

"Yeah, I am. The sooner I get started on this the sooner I can be walking," Rick admitted, "walking... I never imagined that I'd have to relearn to walk."

"I don't think you're 'relearning' to walk, but you are learning how to walk with an artificial limb that you've never had before," Drew commented, "I mean, I guess you are, but your body does know what to do."

Rick grinned and nodded in understanding, but his mind focused on something else, "my body knows how to do _a lot_ of things," he murmured, pressing a kiss to Drew's lips.

Drew returned his kiss and tightened his arms around him, "oh yeah? Just what are you thinking about doing right now?" Drew wondered, his body reacting to what Rick was saying, knowing him well enough to know what the answer was.

"Let's go to our room and I'll show you," Rick shifted, reaching for his crutches, "unless you're too tired."

"Definitely not too tired for you," Drew agreed, standing up and nudging the crutches from Rick's hands, "you trust me?" He asked, holding his hand out to him.

Rick eyed him curiously and took his hand in his, "of course I do."

With his answer, Drew tugged lightly on his arm for Rick to shift closer to the edge of the couch and he leaned over and tucked one arm under Rick's knees and shifted his other hand around his back and lifted him up.

"Seriously?" Rick gasped as he wrapped his arms around Drew's neck. He'd trained with him, so he knew he was strong and could lift guys off the ground, as seen during his fights, but Rick never had been in a position to need Drew to carry him, so it was a surprise to see he really could, "I knew you were strong, but I never realized how strong."

Drew grinned and once he got his balance with Rick in his arms, he carried him towards their room, "I guess I've still got a few surprises up my sleeve," Drew winked, reaching their room and carefully laying Rick on their bed.

Rick's eyes fell closed for a moment as he settled into the pillows, before opening them to see Drew closing their door and returning to bed, "come here," Rick held out his hand.

Briefly Drew took Rick's hand and crawled onto the bed and hovered over Rick for a moment, straddling his hips, "there's no place I'd rather be."

~*~

"Did we really just make love with our mom's and my sister in the kitchen?" Rick asked, smiling as he and Drew laid together under the blankets.

Drew shifted to his side and ran a hand along Rick's bare chest, "yes, we did," he grinned, pulling his fiancé closer, "it was worth it. I don't know about you, but I needed it."

Rick nodded, soaking in Drew's touch, "me, too," he replied. After a moment, he bit his lip and turned to look at Drew, "can I... Do you..."

"What's up?" Drew asked softly, curious what he was trying to ask.

"I'm sure it's nothing I should be worrying about and I've tried to... I don't even want to think about it and I feel like I'd upset you if I ask, but..." Rick sighed, rubbing his hand over his face nervously.

"Spit it out, Rick," Drew commented, eyeing him.

"Do you really... I mean..." Rick closed his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts, "damn it why is this so hard?" He hissed, looking at Drew again, finally deciding to just ask, "you really don't see me any differently?"

Drew expected this conversation to come up. They'd talked about it over the last week, but it was never really addressed directly, "of course I see you differently," Drew commented, seeing an expression of hurt on Rick's face, so he reached out and rested a hand on Rick's cheek, "but not in the way you think."

"Then how?" Rick swallowed nervously and leaned into his touch.

"You are and always will be the man I fell in love with. No change in your physical appearance will _ever_ change how much I love you," Drew assured him and when Rick smiled lightly, he continued, "who I see in front of me is an amazing man, who's fighting back against something he never imagined he'd have to face and even though he's lost some of his independence, he's trying his hardest to get it back and not let what happened define him. I see someone who's always been strong, tough and sure of himself, now being scared and questioning everything and everyone, because he doesn't know what the future will bring and he hates to admit he's afraid of the unknown. He wants to believe the people supporting him, but doesn't want to get his hopes up too far, in case things don't work out as well as he hoped and is trying to hold on to the faith that things will work out, but since there's a rocky road ahead, he can't see the finish line or how the future will truly end up and that frustrates him even more," Drew smiled at him, his thumb gently brushing over his cheek, "when I look at you, I don't see a new amputee and feel sorry because you lost your leg. I look at you and see a man who's faced with a new challenge and is handling it really well, all things considered, and I see someone who's more courageous and stronger than I've ever seen him have to be before. He's a man I'm so proud of and am thrilled to call my fiancé and my best friend. That's who I see. So to answer your question, yes, I do see you differently, but it's a good different. Everything I see makes me fall even more in love with you, Rick," Drew finished, feeling tears slip from his eyes.

Tears escaped Rick's eyes as he reached to wipe Drew's, smiling brightly. He knew if he asked, he'd get a similar answer and even though, in a way, it was 'needy' to want an answer like that, hearing his fiancé praise him and reassure him things would be okay meant a lot and was what he needed to hear to keep pushing himself forward, "you don't realize how good that makes me feel," he murmured, pressing a kiss to Drew's lips, "I know I've been self-conscious lately and questioning some things and I'm sorry if I'm bringing it up too much, but you always have the right words to say to make me feel better. Thank you and I love you, too, more than anything."

Drew smiled and pulled him close, "I didn't just say all that. I meant every word and you have nothing to thank me for. I'll say that every day for the rest of our lives if you need to hear it, babe," he promised, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Thanks," Rick smiled, "do you really have to go to work tonight," he murmured, content to stay in bed with him.

"As much as I'd love to stay right here, with what happened last night, we're down a doctor... or two," Drew admitted, knowing Topher would be out for a while and he wasn't sure if TC should be back to work so soon after his breakdown.

"Who's the other one?" Rick asked.

"TC had some issues tonight. He and Topher served together in the Army and are like brothers. They've been through a lot and TC had a breakdown after what happened with Topher. I'd tell you more, but I don't think it's my place to share anything else," Drew explained.

Rick nodded in understanding, "well, I hope he's alright, and Topher, too."

"Thanks. Same here," Drew agreed, glancing at the clock to see it was just after five.

"You have to get ready soon, huh?" Rick asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, I do, but not for a while. We should go find out what the kitchen looks like, though. I'm surprised they haven't come looking for us," Drew smirked.

Rick laughed lightly, "I think after Gabby interrupted that day she learned what not to do, but yeah. It has been awfully quiet out there."

~*~

Reluctantly the couple pulled apart and started to get dressed. While Rick was finishing up, Drew moved out of the room to get Rick's crutches, but found them leaning against the wall by the door. "I'm not sure if I should be worried or glad they did this," Drew commented, moving back into the room and handing Rick the crutches.

"I think they figured out what we were coming in here to do," Rick smirked, rolling up his pant leg a little so it didn't drag on the floor, "they were our age once, too."

"True," Drew laughed and glanced at himself in the mirror and checked his pockets to make sure he'd gotten everything out of his other pants, "I just hate that we have to..." Drew leaned against the dresser and looked at Rick, "it seems like we have to hurry."

"I know, but I get it," Rick replied, pushing himself up and tucking his crutches under his arms, "we can't always take our time, which means the times we can are even more special."

Drew pushed off the dresser and walked towards his fiancé, "you are absolutely right," he agreed, "doesn't mean I can't wish for more alone time."

"We could always go somewhere. We mentioned it before and I'm not up for a big trip right now, but we could figure something out," Rick suggested as Drew opened the bedroom door.

"I think we could definitely do that," Drew watched Rick move out of the room and followed him, "maybe I could take you home," he suggested, knowing he'd mentioned before that he thought he should go back to New Mexico on his own to come out to his family, but his thoughts had changed since then.

"What?" Rick paused and turned to look at him, "I thought you said it would be too much if they find out and meet me at the same time."

"I did," Drew replied, "but I've thought about it and I realized that I want you to come with me. We're not just together; we're engaged and I want my family to meet the man I'm going to marry."

Rick smiled, "I'd be happy to come with you. Just tell me when and I'm there."

Drew returned his smile and nodded, "okay. I'll see when I can get some time off, but going to visit my family isn't really getting time away."

"True, but we can always go somewhere else, too," Rick replied with a wink, leaning forward and kissing his fiancé, "but I imagine when we go, we could stay in a hotel."

"That's true," Drew nodded, "if we're getting away, I definitely want to have some time alone."

"We will," Rick promised, continuing the rest of the way down the hallway to the kitchen.

Drew walked behind him and as they moved into the kitchen, they were surprised to see it empty. A few things were on the stove cooking and something was in the oven, so they guys could tell they were still there, but the apartment was quiet. Immediately, they realized there was only one place they could be and that was in Drew's small backyard, on the patio, where a few chairs and a table was.

Immediately hearing voices outside, it confirmed their suspicions and the guys moved towards the back door. Drew stepped out first, followed by Rick, neither expecting anything out of the ordinary, but the moment Drew focused on the women at the table he froze, " _oh God, I don't know if I can handle another surprise,_ " Drew quickly thought seeing a familiar new arrival at the table with his and Rick's moms and Gabby.

Rick, focusing more on keeping his balance with the crutches, wasn't paying too much attention to Drew in front of him, so he didn't see him stop until he was crashing into his back, "dude, Drew! Warn a person next time you stop like that!" Rick groaned, thankfully able to catch himself from falling.

Realizing what happened, Drew turned quickly and reached out for Rick to make sure he didn't fall, "sorry," he muttered.

"I'm fine. What happened?" Rick asked, glancing at him.

Before Drew could respond, the squealing of the new arrival caught their attention and the woman came barreling towards the guys with a bright grin on her face. Drew thought she was coming at him, but she passed him and went to Rick, throwing her arms around him, "oh my God! Welcome to the family!" She exclaimed excitedly, hugging Rick.

Rick blinked in shock for the second time to a person he'd never met greeting him with a hug, "um, thank you," he replied nervously, his eyes darting to his fiancé to explain.

The woman pulled away and smirked at the confused look on his face and turned to Drew, "and you! Did you really think you could keep this from your other half?" She asked curiously, punching him in the shoulder, "there's things about you that no one knows and I knew without you actually telling me!"

"Other half?" Rick raised a curious eyebrow at his fiancé, now even more confused at what was going on and who the woman was. He could tell that Gabby, Wendy and Terry were laughing lightly at their reactions, so they knew her, but Rick was confused. He figured she was part of Drew's family, a family he hadn't seen too many pictures of because of how private Drew had been when it came to them. He had seen pictures of him with his sisters and parents from various holidays when Drew had been home celebrating with them, but at the moment, he couldn't place the woman, though he felt like he should know her.

"Damn, Andi! Why didn't you tell me you were coming down?" Drew asked, rubbing his shoulder.

"And miss the reactions on your faces? Nope, not happening," the woman, Andi, admitted, turning to look at Rick, "don't worry. By other half, I mean genetics. I'm his twin sister."

As the words left her lips, Rick immediately understood and grinned, "I get it now," he nodded, "I've seen pictures of you on Facebook, and I knew he had a twin sister, but I just didn't connect the dots."

"Seems like there's a lot more going on with Facebook than I ever imagined," Drew muttered.

"Well, up until the last week, it's the only way I've been able to see anything about your family," Rick commented, "which I understand, so I'm not complaining," he added, moving to sit down in one of the empty chairs.

"Yeah, and looks like that is changing," Drew looked at his sister, "you knew? How?"

"You're not even going to introduce us?" Andi teased Drew.

Drew blushed a little, contemplating how to start that, but with Andi's immediate greeting towards Rick as 'welcome to the family', he knew she already knew about them, so he smiled happily, "Andi, this is my fiancé Rick. Rick, this is my twin sister Andrea, Andi for short and the reason why I don't go by 'Andy'," Drew explained.

Andi smiled and she and Rick shared handshakes as Andi retook her seat and Drew sat next to Rick, "it's nice to finally meet you, officially," Rick smiled at the woman, seeing so many similar features to his fiancé that he had no doubts that they were twins.

"Same here," Andi smiled, "and congratulations, guys. My bro's getting married and I get another brother!"

"Thank you," Rick smiled reaching over and taking Drew's hand in his, glad his fiancé didn't flinch away at the touch.

Drew instinctively squeezed Rick's hand and smiled, "thanks, sis. So, you knew?"

Andi nodded, "yeah. I've been pretty sure for quite a while, but I never wanted to put you on the spot. I knew you had your reasons for keeping it a secret, with the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy and after it ended, I knew you'd have to be ready to share that, so I decided to just let it go. I always knew you were my brother and that would never change, no matter what your sexual preference is. I'll always love you," she explained, smiling at him, "once you joined the Army, we weren't together as often as we had been and when you'd come home for holidays once and a while you'd talk about your 'buddy', but you never said a name. Thanksgiving 2011, you started saying 'my buddy Rick' and talked about the traveling you guys had done since you'd met. You told me, after I asked at dinner, that Rick was the buddy you'd always been talking about and when dad said 'that's good you have a close friend to travel with', I saw a look in your eyes. I knew then Rick wasn't just a friend, especially when I saw the way mom looked at you. Later, when we were back at my place and we were talking about him, I just knew. You remember that conversation?" She wondered looking at her brother.

Thinking back a few years to the Thanksgiving she was talking about. He remembered he was staying at her place and they'd gone back after dinner and were talking, but the actual conversation wasn't quite clear immediately.

~*~

**Flashback - Thanksgiving 2011**  
Drew and Andi had returned to her place, in their New Mexico hometown, after having Thanksgiving dinner with the rest of the Alister family at their parent's home. Drew was only up from San Antonio for a few days and was staying at Andi's place, the siblings not having spent much time together since he'd joined the military and was now in medical school.

"Every year mom out does the previous year. Is she ever going to run out of new ideas?" Andi asked as she plopped down on her couch.

"I don't think that's possible," Drew laughed, joining her on the couch, "I'm gonna have to run an extra ten miles to work off all the calories I just ate."

"Oh come on, you have nothing to worry about. Nothing could take away those rock-hard abs," she smirked, poking him in his stomach, "me, on the other hand, will have to run those ten miles to make sure the calories don't settle at my hips."

"No you won't, sis, you've never had a problem with that, but if you're that concerned, we could go for a run in the morning," he suggested.

Andi smiled and looked at him, "thanks, bro. I think we should go for a run in the morning. That would be fun. We haven't been able to do that in a long time," she admitted.

"You're right, we haven't," Drew agreed, "wish I could get up here more often, but with school, work and studying, my time is limited."

"And traveling all over with your buddy Rick; must be some friend if you guys travel to London and Hawaii together," she admitted, smirking at him.

Drew smiled, "yeah, he's one of my best friends. We met at the right time in our lives. We get each other and share a lot of interests. We get along well and he's fun to hang out with."

"He's the one you spent Christmas and New Year's with a few years ago when you went to Hawaii, right?" She asked.

"He is," Drew nodded, "sorry I didn't come home, but it was time off we had at the same time and he was getting deployed a few months later, so we took a trip."

"You don't have to explain," Andi replied with a shrug, "it's alright. I know you aren't really close with anyone we went to school with anymore and I'm glad you met someone cool. Am I ever gonna meet him?"

Drew was silent for a long moment, "um, maybe one day. He just left for a year-long deployment. I don't know when he'll be back exactly."

"That's gotta be hard on a friendship. I know it's hard between us and you just live what? Eight hours from home?" Andi asked, and at his nod, she continued, "I can only imagine being further than that," she commented casually, trying to get information out of him, without him knowing what she was doing.

"It can be hard. I miss hanging out with him on a regular basis, but we email and sometimes Skype if we're online at the same time. The nice thing is that as soon as he's home we go back to what we were doing before he left, like there had been no time apart," Drew explained with a shrug, "and you know I miss hanging out with you all the time."

Andi nodded, "yeah, I know. I miss you, too," she admitted honestly, deciding to try to get more from him about Rick, "so when you guys go on vacation, you go with a group or just the two of you?"

"The two of us," Drew replied, keeping his answers simple, "it's nice that there's no work involved."

"Well, that's the point of a vacation," she laughed.

"True," he smirked, "why the sudden interest in Rick?" He asked, getting the feeling she was up to something, but couldn't figure it out exactly.

Andi shrugged, "I don't know. Just thought I'd learn about my brother's new best friend," she replied, deciding to throw the scent off of her questions by adding, "and maybe curious if he's single."

"I knew it!" Drew laughed, trying to hide his relief that she wasn't going to ask him if there was more going on between him and Rick, "he's seeing someone, sorry, sis."

"Damn, well, I thought I'd try," she replied with a grin, "whoever he's seeing must be a pretty trusting girl if she lets you guys go traveling without her," she added, wondering if the mention of a 'girl' would catch him, "if I was dating a guy who kept taking trips with his friend, I'd worry about what they were up to."

Drew tried to process what she said and knew he'd have to be careful how he answered, "yeah, his, uh, girlfriend, knows why we go on trips together and we don't hook up with random people; we're not those kinds of guys," Drew told her, "come on, you know me."

"I know you're not like that, but I don't know anything about him. How do I know if he's a bad influence on you or not? I mean," she paused, "you've always been the only guy I truly trusted. That's the reason why most of the girls flirted with you at school, you were a tough guy, but you never cheated and were respectful to everyone. I just don't want you to lose that."

Smiling at her response, Drew draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, "I promise you, he's a good guy," he assured her, "trust me. He's one of the best guys I've ever known and I'm glad to have him in my life."

" _Oh yeah, I see it in his eyes. Rick isn't just a friend, he's so much more and I can definitely tell my brother is in love... I knew he had girlfriends in high school, but he was never really interested in a romantic relationship with any of them and they all seemed better off as friends. Now it all makes sense; he's been hiding who he really is. I hate that he's been doing that, but I get it. Up until a few months ago, when the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy ended, he had to keep his sexual preference a secret or he could lose his military career and it doesn't help that dad's a retired military officer. I'm sure he's scared to share that part of his life, afraid of everyone's reaction and worried he'd lose his family. He'll never lose me and I'm sure mom's supportive of him. I know our sisters won't care; dad, I don't know. That could go either way... Okay, I'm not gonna ask him anymore. I just want him to be happy and he seems to be, so I'm just gonna trust that Rick is a good guy for him and that Rick feels the same way about Drew as I can tell Drew feels about him and hope one day they'll be up for coming out to us,_ " Andi thought, looking at Drew and smiling as he spoke, "I'm glad you have him in your life, too, and from what you've said, he sounds like a great guy, so I'm gonna trust your judgment. Just be careful, okay?"

"I promise I'll be careful," Drew replied, "I'm not gonna let anyone be a bad influence on me. I'm always going to be me, your other half."

"Good. You'll _always_ be my other half, too," she assured him with a smile. After a moment, so Drew didn't catch on to what she had been doing, she decided to change the subject, "are you coming home for Christmas?"

Drew nodded, "that's my plan. I'll be on Winter Break around Christmas and New Year's, so I'll definitely come home. You okay with me staying here?"

"Of course!" She smiled, "you know you're always welcome here."

**End Flashback**

~*~

The twins explained the conversation they'd had, as best as the two could remember and as they finished, Drew looked at his sister, "so, I love you sis, but if you never wanted to put me on the spot and figured I'd come to you, what are you doing here?" Drew wondered, curious how her sudden trip to San Antonio happened.

"I guess I got impatient and worried," Andi admitted, biting her lip, "I know you're in the Army Reserves and I heard about the bus of soldiers getting into an accident, but they still haven't released the names of any of the injured and when mom came down here so suddenly, I got worried you were in the accident. Dad didn't know anything and when I would talk to mom, she kept saying you're 'fine', but I didn't... I just had... I felt like something was wrong and I couldn't wait any longer. I had to come down and see you for myself," she explained, "sorry I dropped in like this, but I was worried about you and I couldn't bring myself to text, because I knew if something was up you might hide it so I wouldn't worry," she told them, looking at Rick, "I never imagined you could have been the one in the accident. Last I heard you were still deployed. Sorry about what happened, Rick."

"Don't be sorry," Rick waved off her apology, "you have nothing to apologize for."

Andi nodded, running her hand through her long brunette hair, the same color as her brother's, "I'm sorry for this being the way we met and for me finding out, officially," Andi looked at her brother, "I wanted you to be the one to tell me and let you do that at your own pace, but I just..."

Drew got up and moved to kneel down next to her, "don't be sorry, Andi. This isn't how I pictured you finding out or meeting Rick either, but you're here now. It's okay. I'm sorry I kept this from you for so long, but I just got the kick in the pants I needed to realize that Rick means more to me than labels and I'm tired of hiding. What sucks is that in the last five years since we've been together, half of that time he's been deployed, so we have a lot of time to make up for, but," Drew glanced over at his fiancé, "things are changing for the better."

Rick smiled at Drew and nodded in agreement, "they are."

"And just before we joined you, we literally were talking about going up to New Mexico, so I could introduce my family to my fiancé. We were going to go as soon as I could get some time off," Drew added, looking at her, "and we still will."

Andi smiled, "okay, cool. Then I don't feel as bad for showing up here. So, you're happy right?"

"I'm extremely happy," Drew returned her smile and pressed a kiss to her forehead, before returning to his seat next to his fiancé and took Rick's hand in his, "he's the love of my life and I can't imagine my life without him."

Squeezing his hand, Rick smiled at Drew and rested his other hand on their joined ones, before looking at Andi, "I feel the same way about him."

"Then I am so happy for you guys and fully support you," Andi smiled happily.

Drew continued to smile and shared a look with Rick and as he did, he realized he had never told Andi about the engagement, other than introducing Rick as his fiancé, and was now curious how she knew, "how did you know he was joining the family?"

"That's my bad," Gabby commented, "when she knocked on the door, I answered it. She thought she was in the wrong place, but I asked if she was looking for 'Drew or his fiancé Rick' and said you guys were here and I was Rick's sister."

"Then I asked if you guys were engaged and she confirmed it," Andi replied, "don't be mad at her, though. I'm paid to figure things out, so I would have gotten it out of her anyway."

"Sorry, guys," Gabby added with a blush.

"Don't be, just be careful next time. We're happy to come out to people, but we still need to do it at our own pace. Thankfully Andi was family, but if it was other people, we may want to figure out a different way to tell them," Rick told his sister.

Gabby nodded, "I promise it won't happen again."

~*~

Dinner was soon ready and the group ate on the patio, talking lightly and Andi started to get to know more about Rick. As soon as they finished dinner, Drew had to get ready for work and was getting his coffee ready, while everyone stayed outside. Drew didn't want to leave, he wanted to spend more time with his sister, but she was staying a few days, so he'd have more time to hang out with her, before she returned to New Mexico. Once his coffee was done, Drew moved outside, retaking his seat next to Rick, "alright, I gotta go."

"You go see Topher and see if he or his family need anything," Wendy commented, "I know a thing or two about raising twins, so I can help if his wife needs help with the babies."

Drew nodded, "alright, I'll let her know. I was planning to go see him before my shift anyway, but I don't know if his wife will be there when I get there."

"Well, just mention it to him and give him my number if he's interested," Wendy replied.

"What happened and who's Topher?" Andi asked, having not heard about what happened the night before, other than knowing about the explosion.

As much as he didn't want to explain, Drew knew if she really wanted to know, she could find out, since she was a police detective back in their hometown. Deciding it would be easier to just tell her, he explained all that he knew about the plane crash, the hostage situation, the death of Dwayne, the shooting of Topher and how Jordan was forced to do surgery in the ER on the shooter, because he 'needed' medical attention, but he ended up dying and now she was being threatened by the San Antonio Police detective involved in the case because of who the shooter was.

Andi listened to her brother and when he finished, she took a deep breath, "wow. Well, I don't have jurisdiction down here, but if you need anything, I have connections," she commented, "are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I wasn't involved in that. I was in charge of the ER when all of that was going on, because that's when the victims from the explosion came in and all three of our attending doctors were involved in the hostage situation," Drew replied, "they're my friends, so I'm concerned, but I wasn't physically part of anything that happened."

"I'm glad," Andi replied, "and I'm sorry to hear about the death of your coworker and the shooting of Topher. I hope he pulls through."

"Thanks, me, too," Drew smiled and stood up, "okay, I have to go or I'll never get out of here," he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his fiancé, "I love you."

Rick returned his kiss and smiled, "love you, too. Don't forget..."

"...your appointment at ten-am. I'll do my best to not have to work late," Drew assured him, finishing his sentence, "I want to go with you."

"Okay," Rick smiled. "If you can't make it, I understand. I'm sure someone here can take me."

"Probably, but I promised I'd be there for you and I meant it," Drew replied, kneeling down next to the chair Rick was sitting in.

"It's one appointment of many that I'm sure I'll have, but thank you," Rick replied, resting his hand on Drew's cheek, "see you in the morning."

Leaning into his touch, Drew smiled at his fiancé and shifted to kiss him on the lips, "you definitely will."

~*~

The entire way to the hospital and even after he parked and started walking in to work, Drew was wondering and worrying about what he'd find when he arrived in the emergency room. It was still early, just a little after six, so no one from the night shift had arrived yet, that he could see, so he quickly changed into his scrubs and with coffee in hand, went to find out what room Topher was in and headed in that direction.

Because it was so soon after the major surgery and the initial complications Topher had, he was still in ICU, close to the OR in case he needed surgery again and as he reached the nurse's station near his room, he looked into the glass door of the room and saw TC and Jordan with Topher and his wife, Janet. Briefly thinking he should come back later, he decided to continue on and went towards his room, knocking on the door, "hey, everyone."

"Hey, Drew, come in," Topher waved seeing him in the doorway.

Jordan and TC nodded at Drew and Drew went to shake Topher's hand, "how are you doing?" He asked.

"Sore," Topher replied, "but I think we're through the worst of it."

"That's a start," Drew smiled.

"Drew, have you met my wife Janet? I don't know if you have," Topher admitted, motioning between them, "Janet, this is Drew."

"I don't think we've met officially," Janet replied, holding out her hand, "nice to meet you."

"You as well, though I wish it was under better circumstances," Drew replied, shaking her hand and smiling lightly.

"I know the feeling," Janet agreed.

"How are you all doing? I know last night wasn't easy. I only got bits and pieces of most of it," Drew admitted, looking around the room.

"I'm alive. That's about all I can say right now," Topher admitted, shrugging lightly.

"Which we're all so happy about," Janet replied.

"I hear that. I know what you're going through, in a way," Drew replied, glancing at Janet.

"Your boyfriend got hurt recently, right?" Janet asked, "I remember Topher saying something about that... Is that okay that I ask about him? He's doing okay?"

"It's alright," Drew shrugged, "yeah, he was in the bus of soldiers that was in that accident. He's home know, but he lost his lower leg, so we're dealing with his recovery as best we can."

"They're not just boyfriends either," TC commented, getting up and putting his hands on Drew's shoulders, "they're engaged."

"Oh, congratulations!" Janet smiled.

"Thanks," Drew blushed, not wanting to make a big fuss about his personal life; he was there to see his friend, "um, so I don't think anyone knows this, but I have a twin sister," he started and at TC's eyes widening, Drew smirked and continued, "anyway, with what happened with my fiancé, my mom came down from my hometown in New Mexico and is here for a while. I know you've got a lot going on, but she's offered to help you out if you'd like an extra set of hands watching the kids or anything. She's got quite a bit of experience raising twins."

"Really?" Janet gasped, "are you sure she's willing to help? Our oldest is really overwhelmed with everything. She can handle the twins for a short time, but not long periods," she explained, glancing at her husband.

"I'm sure she's willing," Drew admitted honestly, "I'm not sure how long she'll be here, but I know she'll be here at least another week. Rick's mom, his sister and now my twin sister are also here, so we've got plenty of hands around my place and I think they'd all love to pitch in somehow, if you need them."

"Drew that would be awesome. I hope I can get out of here soon, but I don't think that will be happening, so anything your family is willing to do to help, would be greatly appreciated," Topher replied, "thank you," he added, and Janet nodded in agreement.

~*~

Talking with them for a short time, Drew made arrangements for his mom to come up to the hospital later to meet Janet and Topher and talk about how she could help and soon he, Jordan and TC were heading back down to ER to start their shift, "Drew, I never got to say this officially, but thank you for taking charge in the ER last night. I don't know what I would have done without you," Jordan told him, patting his shoulder, as they rode the elevator downstairs, "you did a great job, too."

"Thanks," Drew smiled, "and I'm glad I could help out. Just wish it had been for different reasons, but I'm glad you guys are okay. I feel horrible for what happened to Dwayne and Topher, though," Drew glanced at TC, "how are you doing? I'm surprised you're working tonight."

TC shrugged, "I cracked last shift and I actually feel better and I got some sleep today. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm gonna go with it."

"It's a start," Drew agreed, patting his shoulder, "I'm here for you, if you ever need it."

"Thanks, bro," TC smiled, "same goes for you. I can't imagine what you're going through with Rick, so if you ever need something, just want to vent or just get away, I'm here."

"Thanks," Drew smiled, glad to hear TC considered him a brother and was there for him, "that really means a lot."

TC nodded, "and same goes for Rick, too. He seems like a great guy and I wanna get to know him, too; outside of the hospital."

"We all do," Jordan added, "and even though TC beat me to it, I feel the same way. If you or Rick need anything I'm around. And if you need some time off, just let me know and we'll figure out something, okay?"

Drew nodded at her, "alright, thanks. I'll let you know. We're talking about going on a trip, but I wasn't sure if I should ask for time off with everything that happened."

"If anyone deserves some personal time off, it's you, Drew," Jordan replied, "yeah, Topher's out for a while and TC and I have some things going on, but you stepped up in a big way last shift and you deserve recognition for it."

"No I don't, really, I'm not looking for it," Drew told her, waving off the offer, "but the offer means a lot," the doors opened moments later and the three stepped off and headed down the hallway to the ER, "how did everything go at the police station?"

Jordan groaned, "I don't want to talk about it, but... I want to. I just... My lawyer says I shouldn't say anything. I just want to forget everything that happened last night."

"I know the feeling," TC muttered.

"I understand," Drew agreed, turning to Jordan, "my sister, Andi, she's a detective back home in New Mexico. She says she doesn't have jurisdiction down here, but she knows some people and if you have questions or need help, she can call someone for you."

"Really?" Jordan thought for a moment, "you think she'd mind talking to me? I have a ton of questions."

"She'd be happy to answer any that she can," Drew replied.

Seeing their friends gathered around the nurse's station, Jordan nodded, "alright. Thanks. I'll talk to you later about getting in touch with her," she replied, excusing herself from the guys to go check on something.

"How are you doing?" TC asked, looking at Drew, "and I don't want to hear 'we're okay' or 'we're dealing'. How are _you_ doing?"

"Honestly I don't know," Drew replied, "at times, I think I'm okay and handling things well, but many times I think I'm numb from everything going on. As soon as that happens, usually something else comes up or is said and I feel like I'm a mess, but I try to push it aside, because my problems are nowhere near what Rick's dealing with."

"I think you need to take the offer from Jordan for some time off," TC told him.

Drew smirked, "would you? Come on, after everything last night, you and Jordan should be taking time off."

TC was silent a moment and took a deep breath, "I think I should be an example of what not to do. Don't bottle everything up until it gets so bad that you crack like I did."

"I don't think that will happen to us," Drew admitted, "we've already cracked a few times, but I get what you're saying. I'll talk with him and see what we can figure out."

~*~

A/N3: Hope you all enjoyed the update! Please review and let me know! Thank you to all of you who have been reviewing and supporting me. It really means the world to me! I'm so thankful to have amazing readers and friends like you! I truly love Drew and Rick and am looking forward to more of them in the show and in this story (and maybe a few other stories from me, too! Maybe some AUs?)  
A/N4: I've had this ready to edit for a while, but I've been busy, so I haven't had a ton of time to edit. Thankfully, I had enough time this weekend to get it ready to post before the new season begins here in the US tonight! So excited for the return (and earlier than we first thought, too!)! I know there's a time-jump between the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2, but I don't know how much time has passed. Hopefully we'll find out, because I'm really curious. I also am not sure if this story will go completely AU after season 1 or if I'll be able to incorporate some things into here from season 2... With some of the new characters (not going to name names, so you all don't get spoiled!) and storylines, I hope I can bring some into this story, but I don't know. We'll see!

~*~


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick gets to know Drew's twin sister and Rick starts the next step in his recovery, by learning about the prosthetic he'll soon have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 1x08 ~ Save Me; AU afterward  
>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D

**Tuesday, July 29, 2014**  
Shortly after Wendy and Drew arranged for her to go meet Topher and Janet, she and Terry left for the hospital to visit them, leaving Gabby, Andi and Rick at home. It'd started to get cool, so the three moved into the house and it was then that Rick asked Andi if she had made plans to stay somewhere.

"Actually, no. I kinda forgot about that detail. It's an eight hour drive down here, so as soon as I knew I got the next few days off, I got up this morning, hopped in my car and drove," Andi admitted.

"That had to have been a long drive alone," Rick replied, looking at her, "seriously? Eight hours?"

"It wasn't bad. I had my music and the air conditioning. I don't mind driving on my own, actually. Sure it's fun with friends, but when I'm by myself, I can listen to what I want, go at my own pace, stop where I want," she shrugged, "and this was a familiar trip. I've been down here before."

"You have? I didn't know that," Rick admitted, "well, I don't remember being told about it."

"I've come down a few times to visit Drew. Once with mom, and two other times on a long weekend I had off. You probably were deployed when I was here," Andi explained, "having him live so close, yet so far, sucks. I have a full time job, and so does he, so it's hard to see each other."

"I know how you feel," Gabby added, looking at her brother, "but we have to fly to see each other. Thank God for all the technology now to keep in touch."

Rick nodded in understanding, "yeah, it makes being apart a little easier," he agreed, looking at Andi, "our moms are staying at my old apartment. You're welcome to stay here. Gabby's been using one of the couches, so you're welcome to the other one."

"You sure?" Andi asked, "I don't mind staying in a hotel."

"I am and I'm pretty sure Drew would feel the same way," Rick replied, looking at her as she nodded in agreement to stay there, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Andi answered, leaning back on the couch she was sitting on.

"Obviously Wendy is supportive of our relationship and so are you, but... you and Drew have two more sisters and your dad. I don't know them, other than seeing some pictures once and a while, so," Rick paused, nervously biting his lip. He wanted to know her feelings on how his family would take the news, if anything, to prepare himself for what was coming, "how do you think they'll take me and Drew being together and getting married?"

Andi was silent for a moment, "I think our sisters and their husbands will be as supportive as mom and I are," she assured him, "as for dad," she paused to take a deep breath, "how much do you know about him?"

"I know he's a retired Air Force officer and your mom and siblings stayed in New Mexico, when he was sent all over, because they didn't want to drag their kids around the world. He retired just after you and Drew graduated from high school, around the time Drew and I finished Basic, before we went our different ways for training," Rick said, "I don't know much else."

"So you do know some," Andi smiled, "I wasn't sure how much Drew had shared with you. Yes, mom and dad didn't want to drag the four of us around whenever dad got moved to a new place, so we stayed where they were born and raised, and dad tried to keep working at bases close enough to New Mexico, so he could come home frequently, or we could go visit. It was tough to have him gone so much, but in a way, I'm glad he was. He'd come home on leave for a week and spend time with us often, so he was around, but we didn't have all the arguments and typical drama with an overprotective dad or anything like that. Also, dad wasn't around forcing us to be 'good kids' or follow along like his military subordinates. We were good kids, because we wanted to be, not to rebel or anything like that," Andi explained, "anyway, he retired as a one-star General, that's 'Brigadier General', right?" She asked, always getting it confused with the other titles and at Rick's nod, she continued, "he retired because he got an offer to be Dean at the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) and he took it, so he could come home. When you and Drew finished Basic, Drew was able to be home to celebrate dad's retirement before he went off to combat medic training. As soon as dad retired, he immediately started as Dean," Andi paused, deciding to stop with the family history and get to what Rick was asking about, "dad was an officer during the times when 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was active and he talked about people who worked under him getting dishonorably discharged because the wrong person found out they were gay. I remember that, but I honestly don't remember his opinion. I know as an officer, he would have to follow rules or he'd have his own problems, but just because he followed them, didn't mean he supported them. I wish I could tell you truthfully that he'd be okay with it, but I don't know. Sorry, I wish I had more of an answer for you."

Rick took a deep breath and nodded, "don't be sorry. That's what I wanted to hear. I just kinda, in a way, wanted to prepare myself for what could happen. Wendy has assured us that your sisters would be okay with our relationship, but she hasn't said too much about your dad."

"If dad is against you guys, he's going to lose some family," Andi replied.

"Everyone has a right to their own opinion," Rick said, "and we can't force him to feel a certain way. If he's unsure of it or against it, I hope he realizes that seeing his son happy and being himself is more important than the gender of the person he's happy with."

"Love is love," Andi and Gabby said at the same time, the two girls sharing a smile at their matching words.

"Thank you," Rick smiled, happy to know he and Drew had their full support.

~*~

Rick and the girls talked and joked around, Andi getting to know her soon-to-be brother-in-law and Rick getting to know Drew's twin sister.

"You know, Andi, I've known a few twins, but I have never seen them be so much alike. You act like Drew, you talk alike, your body language is the same, it's really awesome," Rick admitted, "and I know it's a cliché, but you two are two peas in a pod."

Andi laughed at his choice of words, "considering where we're from, we don't usually use that phrase," she smirked, "but I get what you mean. Some twins are the complete opposites, while others are alike. Sometimes my mom and dad joke that I'm more like a guy than a girl, because I'm a cop, well, now detective, but I was a sporty person in school, not into dances and painting my nails," she explained. After a moment, a thought came to her that had been on her mind for a long time and though she wasn't sure if it was too forward, she figured she'd let it out and hope he wouldn't freak out, "and if you guys ever want to have kids, my eggs and uterus are available."

Rick had been about to take a drink of water when she was talking, but as she finished her statement, he was glad he hadn't, because he probably would have choked on it as he gasped, unsure if he heard her right, "what? Did you just say what I thought you said?"

"Okay, maybe I could have rephrased that a little better, but it goes along with Drew and I being twins, so it fit the conversation," Andi admitted, taking a deep breath. Ever since she'd figured out about Drew and Rick, and knowing her brother would be a great dad one day, she decided if they did ever come out, she'd offer, "being a doctor is Drew's department, but I know a little about this and genetically Drew and I are as close to the same as fraternal twins can be. You said yourself we are a lot alike. If I'm your surrogate, with your sperm plus my eggs, you two could have a child that's not only your biological child, but also as close to biologically Drew's, too," she explained, "and if I can give you guys a child, or children someday, I'd be happy to. Sorry, is that too forward?"

It took a moment to process what she was offering. He and Drew had only just recently talked about and decided they would eventually have children, but he hadn't put too much thought into it since, "forward? Uh, no," he shook his head, "but it did shock me. Drew and I only just decided we'd have a family one day. I completely get what you're saying and I knew there were two ways for us to have kids, but I never considered that one of our sisters would offer to be our surrogate. I... I honestly don't know what to say other than thank you," he admitted, looking across the room at her, "I definitely will tell Drew and it's something we should talk about, but I know right now we're not ready for that. We're only just moving in together and getting engaged to be married. That's all on top of what's happened to me, us just coming out and our careers."

"It's nothing you have to decide right now. I'm just saying that the offer will always be on the table," Andi told him.

Rick smiled at her and nodded, "thank you, Andi, and that doesn't seem like enough to express how I'm really feeling," he blushed, wishing he could figure out exactly how to say what he wanted. The idea of having a child that not only shared his DNA but also Drew's was something same-sex couples could almost never get and those children would be a miracle for them; he definitely wanted to take Andi up on her offer one day and hoped that Drew would feel the same way.

Andi got up and moved over to sit down next to him on the couch, taking his hand in hers, "you don't have to say anything. We'll talk with Drew about it, I won't hide it from him, and we'll go from there, okay?"

"Okay," Rick smiled, squeezing her hand, "though I think this conversation should stay between the three of us and Drew," he glanced at Gabby, who nodded in agreement and got a similar nod from Andi, "our moms don't need to know right now or somehow they'd talk us into starting as soon as possible and Drew and I need to get through some other things first, before we even consider children."

"That makes complete sense," Gabby nodded, "and you're right. Our moms would definitely go baby crazy if they hear of this conversation, so I definitely won't say anything," she added, and Andi nodded at what she said.

Before anyone could say anything else, someone's phone began ring and all three of them dug for their phones, "it's me," Andi commented, hitting the answer button when she saw it was her and Drew's oldest sister, Maria calling, "hey, Maria, what's up?"

"I'm trying to figure out where you disappeared to. Max said you took a couple of personal days, but didn't know what you were doing. You're not at your place and this is as weird as mom taking off to see Drew in San Antonio with like no notice. You never take vacation days," the oldest Alister sibling commented and Andi quickly realized she'd let the phone go on speaker so Gabby and Rick could hear her.

"I came down to see Drew, too," Andi commented, "and I didn't know I was coming down until after I got the days off," she explained, "so that's why Max didn't know."

"You went to see Drew, too? Is there something going on that I don't know about?" She asked, then gasped, "oh my God! He didn't get into that bus accident with the Army soldiers last week, did he?"

"No, he didn't. He's fine," Andi assured her, "he's at work right now."

Maria was quiet for a moment, "alright. So if he's okay, then why are you two down there? I mean, I love him and I miss him like crazy, so there's nothing wrong with visiting him, but if he's working what are you two doing?"

"Well, mom's at the hospital with his roommate's mom meeting with one of his coworkers who got hurt and needs some help with his kids and I'm hanging out with his roommate and his roommate's sister," Andi explained, trying to keep from saying Rick's name and hoping she wouldn't push her for more information.

"Roommate, huh? So that's what they're calling it?" Maria chuckled lightly.

"What are you talking about?" Andi asked, looking at Rick with wide eyes.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you don't know," Maria commented, "I've known for years."

"Known what?" Andi asked, trying to play dumb.

"Andrea, you're a cop, you should be able to figure it out. I'm a high school teacher and I did," the older woman commented.

Andi looked at Rick with a 'what do I do?' look and he motioned to her phone, "hang on a second," Andi commented, putting it on mute, so she could hear Maria, but Maria couldn't hear them, "what the hell do I do?" She asked quickly, "Drew would be pissed at me if I tell her."

"It's obvious she knows already and there's no way you can answer without confirming it. Just tell her," Rick told her, "if Drew wants to get pissed at someone, he can be mad at me."

"Are you sure?" Andi asked and when Rick nodded, she returned to her conversation, "Maria, if you're hinting that Drew's gay, yes, I know he is," she commented.

"I knew it! Why hasn't he said anything? It's not like the military is gonna care. The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy ended years ago," Maria replied.

"I know," Andi nodded, biting her lip, "and this is a conversation I'm sure Drew would like to have with the family soon, so don't go calling him and putting him on the spot. He's got a lot going on right now," Andi warned.

"I'll let him come to me," she assured her, "I just want him happy and able to be himself."

"So do I and I can honestly tell you that he is very happy," Andi smiled, "and Rick gets my stamp of approval."

~*~

Though she left the phone on speaker, Andi didn't let her sister know Gabby and Rick could hear their conversation. Rick was happy that Andi 'approved' of his relationship with Drew and after hearing Maria talk about not caring that Drew was gay, Rick wondered why Drew had been so worried to tell his family he was gay. He understood if there was some negativity in Drew's past from a family member about gays in general, but with how Andi, Maria and Wendy talked, none of them had anything against same-sex couples.

Rick knew what it was like to be concerned to tell his family, but he'd come out in college, making his family keep his secret, because he was joining the military. His mom and sisters were okay with him being gay, but his older brother and their dad took a little longer to be okay with it, so he did understand why Drew could be concerned and Rick expected Drew's ex-military dad to be the negative one, but if Drew waited much longer and his dad found out on accident from Wendy or Drew's sisters, it could stir up more trouble because it wasn't Drew who told him.

Soon the sisters were ending their conversation and Andi was putting her phone away, "I'm so sorry about that," she sighed, "Rick, you shouldn't take the blame for that. It's on me."

"No, it's not," Rick shook his head, "Drew's probably not going to care and if he does, let him blame me. Maria put you in a tough spot and no matter how you answered or tried to pretend you didn't know what she was talking about, you would have confirmed her suspicions, so it's better to just be honest. I just hope Liz, that's your other sister's name, right?" Rick asked and when Andi nodded, he continued, "if Liz has her own suspicions or finds out, I just hope you all can keep it from your dad. My dad and my brother took my coming out a little harder than my mom and sisters did, so Drew needs to be the one to tell him. He can't find out some other way."

Andi nodded, "you're right. Drew should be the only one to tell him. I wish he had been able to tell Maria," she sighed, "I want him to stand up in front of our family and say, 'I'm gay, I'm getting married and I'm happy'."

"He will, when he's ready," Rick told her, shifting on the couch a little, "I still am amazed at how he came out at the hospital. The night I came into the ER was pretty tough on us."

"What happened?" Gabby asked, "you two have hinted that it was a tough night, not just for the accident, but you've never really gone into too much detail."

Rick went on to explain what he'd remembered once he regained consciousness, still foggy on some things, but was able to tell them about the arguments and how he almost outed him to a colleague and then how Drew came up to him in the middle of the crowded hallway and promised him he'd be there and that he loved him.

"That's so romantic," Gabby smiled.

"It is," Andi agreed, "I'm glad he came to his senses."

"Yeah, and having him standing over me when I woke up from surgery meant a lot, too. He didn't leave my side for quite a while," Rick admitted with a smile.

Gabby got up and moved to sit on Rick's other side and put her arm around him, "I'm so glad you have Drew."

"Me, too," Rick replied happily, returning her hug. The girls returned to their seats after a moment and he wondered what Drew was up to at work, so he dug his phone from his pocket and sent a text to his fiancé.

 **Rick:** Hey, babe. How's work? After the conversations I've had with our sisters, somehow we need to talk alone. It's not bad, exactly, but it's a talk we need to have.

Not expecting an answer right away, Rick went to put his phone away, but before it settled in his pocket, it beeped and he glanced to see Drew had replied.

 **Drew:** Work's okay, but there's some drama stirring and I don't really think I'm interested in being here tonight... And now that text has me worried. I don't think I could take much more drama right now.

Narrowing his eyes in confusion to Drew's response and getting concerned, Rick took a deep breath and began typing his reply.

 **Rick:** And now you've got me worried. Are you okay? Do you mean last night's drama or since I got home from deployment? Or something else?

Rick immediately worried that telling him they needed to talk was a bad idea. The last thing he wanted was for his fiancé to be distracted because of something he'd said and it was only ten-pm, so Drew had several hours left in his shift before he could come home.

~*~

It'd only been a few hours into his shift and Drew was losing interest in working. He didn't have problems focusing on his patients' care, but since Jordan's offer for some time off, the idea had been on his mind. They were already down one doctor, with Topher being hurt and rumors were stirring that TC was going to be suspended after what happened in the OR the night before. TC seemed to be better, but Drew knew it would take some time for him to really be over what he'd gone through and with the wounds freshly opened, Drew felt TC should take some time off to get some professional help, so he could truly get through everything. Drew wanted to be there for his friend, his brother, so he didn't want to take time off, but on the other side of that, he knew his and Rick's moms and their sisters were there, something that rarely happened, so he wanted to spend more time with them before they had to go home, but he also wanted to use the time to spend with his fiancé, so he was torn.

When Rick had first messaged him, he grabbed his empty thermos and headed for the food trucks to get some coffee when he sent his first response. He could only imagine what his sister, Rick and Gabby were talking about and he couldn't deny it worried him and hoped it wouldn't be anything major, because with everything that had already gone on in his life, he was running low on emotions to handle it all.

Once he got his coffee, he went to find a quiet corner in an empty exam room to sit down. He knew his patients were doing okay and in no danger of any major problems, so he was able to take a short break without anyone really looking for him. He needed some time to just be alone and text with his fiancé and to lose himself in his thoughts about what he should do. Part of him wanted to take some time off and recharge from everything, but the other part of him worried that it wasn't the right time; that he'd be giving the ER a bigger issue by taking time off.

As soon as he got Rick's next message, he contemplated his response and then typed it.

 **Drew:** I think I'm okay. Just more emotionally drained than I thought I was from everything. I'm wondering if I should take Jordan up on her offer for some time off.  
**Rick:** I think you should, but it's up to you. I'm worried you'll get too run down, but I'm also not going to force you to do something you don't want to do.

Reading Rick's reply, Drew smiled and took a deep breath before replying.

 **Drew:** Thanks. I'm thinking about it. Would love to spend some more time with you and our family.  
**Rick:** I'd love that, too, but we have the rest of our lives to be together. Right now, I'm more concerned about your health. You gotta take care of yourself, too.

Brushing his thumb over his phone screen, Drew smiled again at Rick's response and closed his eyes, continuing to think about Jordan's offer. Part of him knew it would be even harder to come back after some time away. He loved being a doctor, he wouldn't change that for anything, but with everything that had gone on in the last week, he just wanted to relax with Rick and forget about the world for a little while.

 **Drew:** I know and thanks, babe. I'm considering it. Would you be up for going somewhere or do you want to stay home?  
**Rick:** New Mexico. I'm trying to let you take your time, but you gotta come out to the rest of your family. Maria called Andi. She already knew, so I let Andi confirm it.

Drew groaned and shook his head when he read Rick's reply, " _does my entire family know already?_ " Drew wondered silently.

 **Drew:** Seriously? Okay. Yeah, we'll have to go to New Mexico soon. Find out when my dad's back from DC, so I can get the right time off.  
**Rick:** Okay. I'll have Andi find out... I feel like I'm pushing you, but if your mom, Andi and Maria have figured it out, what if your dad and Liz have, too?

With a sigh, Drew eyed the screen, that same question having been on his mind since his sister arrived.

 **Drew:** I've wondered the same thing... I get being on medical leave, but are you going to be up for traveling?  
**Rick:** As long as I don't have to walk too far or go up a bunch of stairs, I should be okay. I'll check in with my CO and see if I need to do anything before we take a trip, too.

Reading Rick's message, Drew took a deep breath and began writing back to him.

 **Drew:** Okay. Sounds like we're going to New Mexico soon.  
**Rick:** So, um, one of the things I wanted to talk to you about was Maria's call. I let Andi tell her the truth; she already knew anyway. Are you mad at me?  
**Drew:** No, I'm not... I'm mad at myself for waiting so long. I feel like a horrible partner for 'hiding' you for so long. I should have done this a long time ago.

Drew immediately wrote his response and sent it, not wanting to let Rick sit and wait to find out.

 **Rick:** It's okay. You needed to be ready and before you weren't. I've never felt like you were 'hiding' me. I knew the situation and I've always been okay with it.  
**Drew:** I know and that's why I feel so lucky to be with you. Most guys wouldn't be okay with that.

Drew sent his response and leaned back in his seat, trying to calm his racing thoughts as he closed his eyes. Moments later Rick's reply came and he quickly glanced at the screen to read it.

 **Rick:** True, but I'm not most guys. We both had to keep quiet about us, though the difference between us is that I was out to my family before I joined the Army.  
**Rick:** So I'm just as lucky to be with you, babe. I love you.

As Drew read Rick's responses, he couldn't help wondering what their lives would be like if Rick hadn't been out to his family before he joined the Army, " _don't, Drew, don't even think about it. It doesn't matter, because it didn't happen, so just focus on reality,_ " Drew told himself, smiling at the thought of finally coming out to his family. He'd thought of doing it many times, but he was never ready. Now, he knew it was the right time and felt ready.

 **Drew:** I love you, too. I better get back to work before they come looking for me. Talk to you later and I'll make sure I'm off on-time, so we can go to your appointment.  
**Rick:** Talk to you later. Just take it easy and I'll see you in the morning. I'll probably be up most of the night, so you can always text or call if you want.  
**Drew:** I may take you up on that offer. :) Hey, think about this. I've been curious. When we get married, are either of us going to change our last name?

With a smirk, Drew sent the last question and pocketed his phone, knowing Rick would need to think on that before he responded. He'd had the question on his mind since they got engaged, but hadn't thought to bring it up to Rick yet. Grabbing his thermos, he got up and moved out of the room and headed for the nurse's station, finding Kenny talking with Krista.

"Hey, Drew, where have you been?" Kenny wondered.

Holding up his coffee, he shrugged, "went to get some coffee and then took a break for a while," Drew replied.

"Oh, alright. I think we could all use a break right now," Kenny admitted.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Krista agreed, "last shift was horrible."

"It was," Drew commented, taking a deep breath, "but after everything I've gone through recently, I look at it this way. It'll get better," he told them, having kept that on his mind through everything going on. It was going to get better, it just may take some time to get there.

~*~

As Rick read Drew's last text message, he was glad the girls were in the kitchen making some snacks, because he did not want them to see his shocked face when he read it. He'd wondered the same thing, but hadn't focused too much on it, because he knew they had plenty of time to talk about it before they got married, and it wasn't something they had to have decided the moment they say 'I do', but it definitely was something they would need to talk about one day. He was just surprised Drew had brought it up, but looked forward to having that conversation and wondered what they would end up doing.

~*~

 **Wednesday, July 30, 2014**  
After the previous shift, Drew was thankful for an easy night, allowing him and his coworkers to get off on time.

"So, got any plans today?" TC asked, as they changed out of their scrubs in the locker room.

"Rick has an appointment with the prosthetic maker today, so I'm going with him," Drew admitted, pulling on his jeans.

"Really? His staples are already out?" TC asked in surprise, "isn't that a little too soon?"

"It's just a meeting. He wants to talk about the process and get things going," Drew explained, "Rick's healing really well, but he still has the staples in and I'm sure it will be a few months before he's really ready to put any weight on it, but it doesn't hurt to meet who is going to be helping out."

"Oh, that's true," TC agreed, "he'll be up and walking before you know it."

Drew smiled as he tugged his t-shirt on after emptying his scrub shirt pockets and tossing it to the dirty clothes basket, "I'm looking forward to that. I'm not pushing him, but I know with all the technology out there, he'll be able to do everything he did before. If something happens that he can't," Drew walked over to the wooden shelf nearby and knocked on it a few times, "that's okay, too, but I've got faith he will be able to."

TC grabbed his backpack from his locker and nodded at Drew as he closed it, "me, too. Rick can do it. He's lucky to have you. I've seen guys lose limbs while overseas and they don't always have the same support system as they do if it'd happen while they were back home with family and friends," he admitted, patting Drew's shoulder.

"I've always watched out for him and I always will," Drew smiled, shouldering his own backpack and grabbing his things, before closing his locker, "I'm glad I could be around when this happened. I admit, I thought about the 'what ifs' of him being gone when it happened."

"You would have come to me and I would have pulled a few strings to get you over there and I probably would have gone with you," TC told him with a smile, "but thankfully we didn't have to worry about that and we're here. Rick's got you, you've got friends and family that care about both of you and we'll always be here, too."

"Thank you, TC," Drew smiled, as the two guys began to move out of the locker room, "that really means a lot and the same goes for you. You've got friends that care about you, too."

"I know. Thanks. And part of me wishes I hadn't hid everything for so long, but I can't change the past. Now I just need to move on. Finally," TC sighed, "it's not easy, but every day is better than the last."

"So true," Drew agreed, "you going up to see Topher?"

"Yeah, I am. Good luck today at the appointment," TC told him as the guys paused outside the locker room to talk before they parted ways.

"Thanks. Say 'hey' to him for me. I'll probably check in when I come back to work this evening," Drew replied.

TC nodded, "will do. I'll let him know. Give Rick my best."

Drew smiled and nodded his thanks, "I will."

~*~

Pulling up to his home, Drew smirked, " _it looks like I'm having a party,_ " he laughed to himself as he parked behind Terry and Gabby's rental car, seeing his mom's car and his sister's parked on the street.

Grabbing his backpack from his backseat, he closed the doors and headed up the front steps. Pushing the front door open, he heard the voice of his fiancé talking in the kitchen and dropped his bag by the couch, before moving further inside. Stepping into the kitchen, he saw Rick sitting at the table with Gabby and Andi, while Terry and Wendy moved around the room. Walking up behind Rick, he slid his arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek from behind, "hey, babe."

Rick smiled and turned a little to hug him, "hey back," he replied, "it's a good thing I knew that was you or even with one leg, I'd have had you on the floor and not in a good way."

"Oh yeah?" Drew smirked, "someone's feisty."

"No, far from it," Rick admitted, looking at Drew, "I'm nervous and jumpy. Today's gonna make what happened a lot more real and I think I've been avoiding it," he murmured, not caring that everyone in the room heard.

Drew sat down next to his fiancé and then took his hands, "today's gonna be a good day. You get to meet the guy who's gonna help you get the rest of your life back. He's gonna prove that you _will_ be able to walk again and you won't just be hearing us tell you that."

Rick smiled at Drew and squeezed his hands, "I hope you're right. I guess maybe I just don't want to get my hopes up too high. I already did that when I was looking forward to coming home and look what happened," he nodded at his missing leg.

"Hey," Drew leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Rick's lip, bringing one hand up to rest on Rick's cheek, "we're through the worst of it. Yes, you were in the accident, but things are looking up now. You made it through surgery and you're healing really well. That's great! We're on the right track to get you back to everything you did before."

Taking a deep breath, Rick nodded and already felt a little calmer now that he'd talked to Drew. This wasn't something he usually talked about, his feelings, but he was trying to be more open about what was going on in his head, instead of hiding things, "thanks. I'm still nervous, but not near what I was before. You always seem to know how to calm me down."

"I'm glad," Drew smiled, "because I hate seeing you upset or in pain and you help ground me, too."

Squeezing his hands gently, Rick lifted Drew's left hand up and pressed a soft kiss to his skin, then to the ring he wore, before looking back at him, "good to know."

~*~

With Rick a lot more relaxed, the Alisters and Lincolns sat down to have a quick breakfast and soon Drew, Rick, Gabby and Terry were getting into Drew's SUV to go to Rick's appointment. Drew expected he and Rick wouldn't be going alone and was glad Rick's mom and sister had joined them for extra moral support.

Rick had the address and with Drew's GPS, they had no problem finding the office. Once Drew parked in a nearby space, the group went inside with about twenty minutes until his appointment, plenty of time for Rick to check in and deal with the necessary paperwork and sign a few documents, before they took a seat in the waiting area.

At the moment, there were only a few other people in the waiting area, but all the workers were busy in patient rooms and Rick couldn't help glancing at the other patients, noticing two of them were older men with leg amputations. One had a prosthetic on, peaking out under their shorts, with no crutches near him and the other amputee was in a wheelchair and his limb was wrapped up much like Drew wrapped Rick's, so Rick figured he also had it done recently. Seeing them, especially the actual prosthetic on one of the guys really brought Rick into the reality of what his life would hold.

Before he could really think too much, that man was called back into a room and he got up, easily walking, without a limp, into the back area to the patient room. Shaking from his thoughts, Rick began to nervously bounce his good leg, his stomach tying in knots.

Drew, sitting next to his fiancé, had noticed the two men nearby and when the older man walked past, wearing a prosthetic, without any limp, Drew noticed Rick's knee nervously bouncing and he could only imagine what was on Rick's mind. Reaching out, he rested his hand on Rick's knee; not forcing him to stop, but to remind him he was there. They'd never been much for PDA, but in this instance, Drew didn't care. He was trying to comfort his fiancé, and to others, it could just be seen as he was comforting his friend. It wasn't that he didn't want to show affection to his fiancé, they just hadn't done it in public before, so this was all new territory for him and he'd only just come out. It was a big deal for him still, so not only were they navigating Rick's physical change, they were also trying to figure out what they were comfortable with doing in public now that they were out to everyone, not just Rick's family and Drew's mom and sister.

Feeling a hand on his knee, Rick glanced at Drew and smiled weakly, calming down a little, but his mind was racing with thoughts. Seeing the guy walking as if he didn't have a prosthetic gave Rick hope that what everyone had been saying was possible; that he would be able to walk again. He didn't think they were lying to him, just to make him feel better, but he was having a hard time latching on to the belief that he would, because like he'd said earlier, he didn't want to get his hopes up too much. Now this appointment would give him, hopefully, some confidence to believe in everything he'd been told.

"Mr. Lincoln. The room is ready for you," the receptionist said, walking over to him, "your family is welcome to join you," she added.

Getting up, the four followed the woman into the large patient room, each of them taking a seat in an empty chair. The room was very open, but on one side there was a mirror at the end of a set of parallel bars and across the room was a platform about two feet off the ground, with three stairs coming down on two different sides with railings on each side, both places where patients could try out their prosthetics with stairs.

"This just got a lot more real," Rick murmured, taking a deep breath.

Drew turned a little to his fiancé and took his hand, "yeah it did, but we're here," he assured him.

"I know," Rick nodded, "just nervous. I think once we get through this appointment, I'll feel better. I'll know more when we leave here."

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Drew agreed.

Before anyone else could say anything, the door opened and a man in his mid-thirties walked into the room, dressed casually, and standing just under six-feet tall and even with sleeves on his shirt, it was obvious he was very muscular, "hello, I'm Dan Goodman," he greeted, "you must be Rick Lincoln," he commented, seeing Rick and stepped forward to shake his hand, "nice to meet you."

Rick nodded and shook the man's hand, "I am, nice to meet you, too," he replied, "this is my mom, Terry, my sister, Gabby and my fiancé Drew," he explained, motioning to them, not even hesitating when he introduced Drew as his fiancé. He was glad they were finally out, so he could really show people that Drew is more than just his 'good friend', that he meant so much more to him.

Dan shook their hands, "nice to meet you all. It's nice to see patients with a good support system," he admitted, taking a seat in the last empty chair in the room and set a notepad in his lap, "okay, so I hope you're up for a lot of talking. I first would like to get some information about you and then what happened to cause your amputation, then we'll do some measurements and I'll explain how things will go from here," he explained, looking at Rick.

"Okay, I'll tell you what I can," Rick replied.

~*~

For the first little bit, Dan asked Rick some personal questions about his past and his life, before moving on to the most recent history and how he got hurt and lost his leg. Drew explained he was a doctor and knew a little more about the condition of Rick's leg before the amputation and it's current status, since he was doing the wound care.

Dan went on to explain a little about himself, that he went to school and then trained under the owner of the clinic they were in and was now a licensed prosthetic and orthotics maker. "As I said earlier, I'm really glad to see you have a strong support system with friends and family. You'd be amazed how many people don't," Dan told him.

"I don't know what I'd have done if I didn't have them," Rick admitted, glancing at his family.

"From what I can tell, even though I don't know you well yet, I'm sure you would have gotten through this. You don't seem like the kind of person who gives up easily," Dan commented.

"Well, that's debatable. I remember in the ER saying I'd rather die than lose my leg," Rick sighed.

"It was the fear and shock talking," Drew commented, seeing Terry's eyes widen.

"I know, but for that moment, I did almost give up, but since then, I've realized I have a life I want to live and this isn't going to keep me from it," Rick replied, looking at Dan, "so yeah, I guess I don't give up easily. I'm a little stubborn."

"Being stubborn is good, but you also have to admit when you need help and asking for help is okay. And I'm glad to hear you say that you aren't going to let this stop you from your life," Dan told him, "from what I've learned from you, I'm ninety-nine-percent positive you'll be up walking, without crutches, in about three months and probably hiking and walking on the beach in about five or six, but it's gonna take a lot of work. Running will take a little longer, but I think you can get there, too."

Rick was silent for a moment, trying to soak in what he told him and after a glance at his fiancé, he smiled and nodded, "I'm ready to get my life back. What do I need to do?"

"Right now, heal the wound so there's no more staples in it. From what Drew said, it's doing well, so we're already on the right track, but it has only been a week since it happened," Dan told him, then looked at Drew, "is it draining, to where he has to wear gauze or could it go without?"

"It's scabbed over and I haven't seen any bleeding, so no, it's not draining," Drew replied.

"Great! You can get into a compression stocking to help shape the limb for the prosthetic," Dan stood up, "excuse me a moment, I'm going to go get one," he said, "can you pull up your pant leg? It'll be a good time to take some measurements when I get back," he added, before moving out of the room.

Once he was gone, Rick tugged his pant leg up above the gauze on his leg and looked at Drew, "I did hear him right, right? He thinks I'll be up walking within three months?"

"He did say that," Drew nodded, taking his hand in his and squeezing it gently, "see?"

Rick smirked, "yeah."

Dan was only gone a short time and when he returned he had several things in his hand. A few looked like socks and the other was an actual prosthetic leg, with a few measuring tapes and some gloves, "I figured I could show you some things, instead of just telling you about them," Dan explained, "this doesn't freak you out, does it?" He wondered, "I've had patients get uncomfortable seeing this, but the sooner you're more familiar with what you'll eventually have, it will be easier to get used to."

"It's making everything seem more real, but if that will get me back to things I did before, I'm ready," Rick admitted, taking a deep breath.

"Great!" Dan smiled, setting the items on the floor or his chair and moved to kneel in front of Rick, "this is a compression stocking. Kinda like a sock, but for your residual limb. It helps shape it into a more rounded shape for the prosthetic to fit in and also helps keep it from getting to big, so your prosthetic won't fit," Dan explained, "it goes on like a sock, then the ring rests at the base of your limb and then you put the other end back over it, so it's two layers of compression," he explained, showing him the long tube like sock with a small ring in the middle that helps it hold the shape and demonstrated it first on his hand, "now this is something you can wear now, if your doctor is okay with that," he glanced at Drew.

"It's alright with me, if he's cool with it," Drew nodded, "I'll keep an eye on it and if it irritates the skin or causes problems we can stop until it heals more."

Rick nodded, "it's okay with me."

Dan nodded and put some gloves on and carefully removed the dressing to look at the limb and surgical site, "I'm also going to get some measurements now, if you don't mind."

"Go for it," Rick shrugged, letting the man do his job.

For a moment, Dan used a measuring tape to measure the length of his leg, his limb, the size of his knee cap, the range of motion he had in his knee and then measured his other leg to get an idea of length and his shoe size, so he could order the correct size foot for the prosthetic. Once he was done, he put the stocking on Rick so it was on properly, easy to do and with the right fit, he stood up and gave Rick it's package with another one in it and another two pack, so he had a few to rotate with. Taking off his gloves, he used some hand sanitizer to clean his hands and then retook his seat, "now, this will also keep your leg from getting extra fluid settled in it, so it's important to keep this on as often as possible. Once we get your prosthetic fit to you, it needs to stay in the same size, or it won't fit properly. Over time, your leg's muscles will change and most people need to have a new prosthetic made every six to eight months, but once things mellow out in a few years, it won't need to be adjusted as often, or it might. It depends on the person."

"Wow," Rick sat back, "I didn't realize it would be that often."

"Yeah, we're gonna see each other a lot," Dan smiled, "speaking of that, I'd like to see you in about two weeks. If you wear that size stocking daily, by that two week period, you might be ready to go to a smaller size. I'm not a doctor or anything, but I've seen many limbs in various stages of healing and it seems like it's healing well," he told him.

"Two weeks, that sounds good. We'll set up the appointment when we leave, so we don't forget," Rick replied.

"Great. Would you like to learn a little about the prosthetic you're going to first get?" Dan asked.

"Sure," Rick nodded.

Picking up the item near him, he motioned to the foot, "first, it'll have a foot, which will be your shoe size, so you can wear matching shoes. Then inside the foot is some parts for the ankle joint and it's attached to the metal leg. When I order your foot, it will come with the leg part a lot longer than I'll need, but when I begin making your prosthetic and have more accurate measurements once your leg has changed shape a little, I'll be able trim off the excess metal so it will be the same length of your leg. Your limb will settle into the cone portion that's attached to the metal. Now," he tipped the one he had so he could see inside, "there's a hole at the bottom that points down into the metal leg. When you wear this, between your skin and this cone will be a silicone stocking, which will stick to your leg. At the base of it, there will be a plastic disc where a pin can attach. That pin will have teeth and as it goes into the hole in the leg, it'll lock in place, and the only way to release it is to press the button underneath the cone," he motioned to where it was, on the sample he was showing him, "that's how it will stay on your leg. I didn't have one of those available to show you, but next time, I will."

"Wow, that's a lot to take in, but that does answer a lot of questions," Rick admitted, "I didn't know how it would stay on."

Dan nodded, "it is a lot of information, but I promise this won't be the only time we talk about it and you can always call and ask questions," he told him.

"Thanks," Rick smiled.

~*~

After a successful appointment, and having a lot of information thrown at them, soon the group was leaving the office, after making an appointment for two weeks later and getting Dan's card to contact him if they needed.

Once they were on their way home, Terry called Wendy and got take-out orders from Andi and Wendy and the group stopped at a Mexican restaurant to pick up some to-go food for lunch. Gabby and Terry went inside, leaving the guys in the car alone.

With the engine running to keep the air conditioning going, Drew made sure the break was on and turned to his fiancé, "how you doing, babe?"

Rick looked at Drew and shrugged, "just trying to soak it all in," he admitted, taking a deep breath, "and I'm more hopeful than I was. I'm still worried things won't work out, but I do feel better after hearing what Dan had to say."

Drew nodded in understanding and took Rick's hand in his and pressed a kiss to it, "I'm glad. I knew this would be a good appointment and I'm glad it worked out that way."

"Me, too," Rick replied, squeezing his hand gently, "don't think I never believed you, I did, but it was just hard to..."

"It's okay. You don't have to explain," Drew assured him, stopping him from continuing, "I get it. Dan deals with people every day going through the same thing, so it's more believable coming from him than when I say it," the doctor admitted, his other hand resting on their joined hands, "so don't worry about it."

"Okay, but I just want you to know that I do trust you. It's just been hard to get my hopes up, that's all," Rick told him.

Drew nodded in understanding, "I get it," he assured him, deciding to change the subject, "do you still think you're up for taking a trip to New Mexico?"

"Yeah, I will be, like I said, as long as there isn't a lot of strenuous activity or a lot of climbing of stairs or hiking that I have to do, then yeah, I'm up for it," Rick nodded, "and Andi asked your dad, but as of this morning, he hadn't gotten back to her, so hopefully she'll know soon."

"Okay, that's fine. All my siblings live in single-story places, so there's no stairs in any of their places. I usually stay at Andi's when I go home to visit, but with us, would you rather stay in a hotel or at her place?" Drew wondered.

"I guess that depends on how long we're planning to stay. If it's more than a few days, I think we should stay with Andi. If it's only going to be a few days, then we could stay in a hotel. I'm open to either. I just know it's summer and if we don't make reservations soon, we might not get into a hotel up there," Rick told him.

"That's true," Drew agreed, "and I don't know how long I'll take off. Depends on when dad gets home. If it's closer to a weekend, I figured I could just take a couple days before the weekend and a few after and just have an extra-long weekend. I was kinda hoping I could save some extra time off and we could go away, just you and me. Maybe to California," Drew suggested.

Rick smiled at his suggestion, "I'd like that. Maybe once I'm up and walking."

"That could be arranged," Drew agreed, returning Rick's smile and leaning over to press a soft kiss to his fiancé, "maybe we could go to some areas we haven't seen before."

"That'd be fun," Rick agreed, "as long as we are together, I'd be happy."

~*~

A/N3: Another update! Hope you all enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you think! I've had this chapter and chapter 10 and most of 11 written, but with everything going on, my time to write and edit has been limited. I'm still super busy, but I'm finding a little more time at night to sit down and write a bit or edit, so hopefully I can get more writing in. I love Drew and Rick (and Brendan and Luke) so much! These guys are amazing! I love writing them! I'm looking forward to incorporating some ideas from season 2 into this story, but it won't happen for a few chapters, so don't worry. I'll let you know when I do. Sadly season 2 is almost over here in the US, episode 11 just aired, and it's only a 14 episode season. Definitely hoping for a 3rd season! Thanks for all the love and support you've shown me and I appreciate all the kind words and reviews you all are giving me! It truly means the world to me!

~*~


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drew talks to his sister, a few weeks pass after the drama in the ER, their family heads home and Drew and Rick head to New Mexico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 2x01 ~ Recovery  
>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: I'm so excited to be back, but please bear with me! I'm getting back into writing and posting. I had to take some time away for personal reasons, the passing of my mom, my dad losing his second leg to the same infection that took his first one, starting to attend a church, getting baptized and becoming a Christian (don't worry, it doesn't change my love for Drew & Rick!), having to move out of my childhood home, lack of internet, getting a job, on top of several other things. Unfortunately, with life happening, I couldn't focus much on writing, so I had to put it aside for a while. Thankfully I could keep up watching Night Shift and now that I have some more free time and with all that Drew and Rick had happen and are going through in season 2-4, my muse has finally returned! I'm posting chapter 10 and piecing together chapter 11-14 or so. They were all mostly written in pieces in late-2014 and early-2015, so I'm more editing them and working on getting them ready to post, while also writing more to continue the story.
> 
> A/N4: There is a lot in this chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it! This chapter, along with the next several will bridge the gap between season 1 and 2. I will also mention some things we learn in season 2's premiere episode ('Recovery') that would have been dealt with between the seasons. From there, I will write my twist on the happenings for Drew and Rick and the characters of the show for season 2-4 and add on some original ideas, too, but I don't think I'll be focusing too much on everyone else, so this can be about Drew, Rick and their lives together. I love all the characters, and the night shift is one big family, so the characters will be around and we'll see what's going on with them, but I'm just choosing to maintain focus on Drew and Rick. I hope you all understand!

**Wednesday, July 30, 2014**  
With lunch picked up, the four returned to Drew and Rick's place and had lunch with Wendy and Andi, telling them about the appointment and everyone was glad to hear that things were looking up. Rick admitted he still had hesitations at being too hopeful, but he was happy things were moving in the right direction.

Drew was surprised he'd made it through lunch without falling asleep, but once they'd eaten, he didn't have a choice. He had to go get some sleep before work or he'd be living off coffee and energy bars all night. Rick, even though he'd gotten a little sleep during the night, joined Drew for some time alone together.

"You don't have to always sleep when I do. I know I work opposite hours than a normal person," Drew commented, stripping down to his briefs and undershirt, before crawling into bed, where Rick was already, sitting up against the headboard of the bed.

"You think I do?" Rick laughed lightly, "you do remember I just got home from a fourteen-month tour, right? You know what deployments are like. A few hours of sleep here and there, patrols lasting days; I'm just glad to be home to a real bed. What's even better is having my wonderful fiancé in it, too," he explained, shifting to press a kiss to Drew's lips, "so I'd rather sleep with you, whenever you do and if I don't sleep as much, it's nice just being close."

"That's true," Drew agreed, smiling at him, "and I didn't forget. I just know my hours are not 'normal' to most people and I'd understand if you want to sleep at night."

"It's alright. I'd rather keep your schedule. We'll just make early morning appointments or late afternoon ones, so we have time to sleep before or after your shift," Rick told him, shifting to lay next to Drew and tugging the sheet up over them. He then draped his arm over Drew's chest and kissed him once more, "go to sleep, babe."

"Yes, sir," Drew smirked, lifting his right hand in a partial salute.

Rick couldn't help a light laugh slip from his lips at Drew's words, "that wasn't an order, soldier, but I could easily make it one, Lieutenant," he added playfully, though his mind raced with thoughts that he wouldn't hear those words much anymore. He didn't think he'd be able to stay in the Army with a missing limb, even if he could walk, run, jump and do all the physical activity he did before, and if he could, would he even want to?

Drew knew his fiancé enough to know when he had something on his mind and he quickly noticed he was thinking about something, so he reached up and rested his hand on Rick's cheek, "what's wrong?"

"You know me well," Rick took a deep breath, "just thinking I probably won't hear those words much anymore. Even if I can get back to everything I did before, I don't think I'll be able to stay in the Army, and part of me doesn't want to anyway."

He expected this conversation to come, but Drew wanted Rick to talk about it first; he knew it'd be a sore subject, "oh yeah? What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure. Even if I'm able to stay in the Army, I will never be deployed again, which I'm totally fine with, but there's limited positions for me. Sure, I could train new classes of Rangers and make a difference that way, but I'm not sure that's what I want. And if I have get out, the Army will give me a medical discharge, allow me to keep my benefits and I'm sure I'll end up getting some sort of disability from them or the government," Rick commented, "and I think I'm leaning towards discharge, but I don't know. I love the Army and being a Ranger, but with how I'm feeling right now, I kinda wanna be a military spouse, focus on us and then start a family."

Drew shifted to sit up a little and wrapped his arms around Rick, "if that's what _you_ want, you know I've got your back," he told him honestly. Rick's words surprised him, but he knew he didn't want to push Rick to do something he may not want to do. The idea of them having a family together warmed his heart; it was something that up until recently, he hadn't really thought he'd be able to have, but now, even the chance at having kids with Rick was something he definitely was looking forward to, "I won't lie, it'd suck not having you as an officer, but I'll support anything you want to do. You also know I'd love to have a family with you."

Rick knew it might not be the best time to tell him what his sister had offered, but he couldn't keep it from his fiancé any longer, "about that," he said softly, "remember last night when I told you I had to talk to you about something our sisters and I talked about?"

"Yeah," Drew nodded, eyeing him curiously.

"Um, Andi... She, um, offered to... She kinda blurted out that she'd be willing to be a surrogate for us," he told him, biting his lip and nervously waiting for Drew's reaction, unsure exactly how he'd take it.

"She what?" He gasped, shifting a little to look more at Rick, "she offered to... What?"

"She offered to be our surrogate and she didn't seem to mean only once... I didn't want to keep that from you, but I also know we can't let our moms know, so we're keeping it between you, me, Gabby and Andi," Rick explained simply.

Drew took a moment to gather his thoughts. Shock and disbelief were his initial reactions, but then the doctor part of him kicked in and he realized genetically a child carried by her could carry Rick's genes and hers, and since she and Drew had similar DNA, the child would carry a part of Drew, too. He honestly didn't care if their kids had their DNA or not, he'd love them equally, but he knew this was a chance that was extremely rare for same-sex couples and he didn't want to pass it up. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead to Rick's and took a deep breath, "I know my sister and I have always shared a bond that not many truly get, not even our other sisters, and this would only continue our bond. I'm shocked she'd offer, but in a way, I'm not. I know her and she'd do anything to help me, just like I would to help her," Drew started, trying to fight his need for sleep so he could finish talking to Rick, "we need to talk, and then talk with her. If she's serious, and we figure some things out, I'd be open to it one day. I definitely wouldn't say 'no', because this is an opportunity not many get and just the idea of our child sharing a part of both of us would be amazing."

"It would be," Rick agreed, eyeing Drew, "and I know we've got some things to deal with first and a lot to talk about together and with her, but it's definitely something I'd like to look forward to."

"I think it's definitely something to look forward to," Drew smiled, pressing a kiss to Rick's lips, "I never imagined we'd be lucky enough to be engaged or have a family together. Now things are moving in that direction and I honestly am so happy and I wish I could really show you just how much, but I'm exhausted and I really need some sleep."

Rick smirked a little and shifted to wrap his arms around Drew's body, "I know how you feel. Even with some things changing and what happened to my leg, it's nice to know things are looking up for us, giving us more chances than we've ever had before. I'm just as happy and we've got plenty of time to show each other how much we love each other."

Drew nodded at him and kissed him once more, "so true. I love you."

"I love you, too," Rick replied, smiling at him and resting his hand over Drew's heart, "always."

~*~

**Wednesday Night**

Rick only got a few hours of sleep and found himself waking up a little after four in the afternoon, only three hours after they'd laid down. Drew was still sound asleep next to him, but had shifted to lay on his stomach, so Rick rolled away a little to sit up and watch his fiancé sleep. "God, I missed you," Rick murmured, reaching out to gently brush his hand through Drew's short hair, being careful to avoid the scar from the accident he'd recently found out about. Rick had so many things running through his mind that he felt like he was being pulled in several different directions, like a mental tug-a-war and the only time he'd really feel like he was alright was when he had any time alone with Drew.

Hearing his phone beep near him, he reached for his cell and saw a new message from his older brother, Justin. " _Oh crap,_ " Rick thought, groaning. He knew his mom was keeping his family back home updated, but he hadn't thought to contact them on his own yet.

**Justin:** I get you've had a lot happen, but couldn't wait any longer to hear from you. Let me know you're okay, alright? Call, text, video chat, I'm here. Love ya, bro!

Immediately after reading his message, Rick felt even worse that he'd taken so long to contact the rest of his family. He would make a point to contact Kelly later, but for now his mind was on Justin. He and Justin had been as close as siblings could be that were seven years apart in age, but when Justin, and their dad, turned their backs on Rick when he came out, Rick tried to get over the hurt and it took the Lincoln men some time to really come around to accept Rick for who he was. When they did, though Rick could easily have hated them, he'd worked through it enough in the time apart that he chose to forgive them. Since then, the guys had rebuilt their relationships with Rick and now, Rick knew that rough time was just a nasty fall into a dark pit that they'd all crawled out of and he was thankful they were back to being close again.

Starting to type a reply, Rick shook his head and quickly deleted the message and hit the 'send' button, wanting to talk to his older brother instead.

After two rings, the older Lincoln answered his phone, "hey, baby bro!" Justin greeted.

Rick smirked, happy to hear his brother's voice, even though he called him 'baby bro', "hey, Justin. I just got your message. Sorry it's taken me so long to call."

"Don't worry about it. I know you've had a lot going on. I'm just glad you're alright. Would have loved to have been there when it happened," Justin admitted, "Drew's not the only medical person you know."

"I know," Rick replied, taking a deep breath. His brother had started out as a firefighter, but after getting a back injury during a fire, he couldn't continue that career, so he became an EMT and then a paramedic, which is what he's been doing for years, "I passed out before we were rescued and didn't wake up until I was at the hospital, so I wouldn't have known you were there, but it would've been nice."

"I'm just glad Drew was there," Justin replied honestly, "and speaking of Drew, congratulations, by the way. I'm happy for you. Drew's a great guy and I'm glad to welcome him to the family, officially."

Rick smiled happily and looked at his sleeping fiancé, "thanks, bro. That means a lot. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that."

"Good. So you guys are good? How's mom and Gabs handling everything from your point-of-view? They've told me a little, but I get there's more and is Drew's mom and sister down there, too?" Justin asked.

"They are. Drew's sister just got down here yesterday, but his mom's been down here since I got home from the hospital. All things considered, Gabs and mom are handling things well. Mom's had a few breakdowns, but I don't blame her. I've had my own," Rick admitted, taking a deep breath.

"Well, you sound great. Better than I expected. Mom's kept us posted, but it's not the same as actually hearing from you," Justin commented.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. I should have called sooner. Honestly, I'm sorry about it. I'll do my best to be in better contact now," Rick promised, glancing at Drew, "did mom tell you that we're out to people now? We're not hiding from the people we work with."

"She did," Justin replied, "I'm proud of you guys. About damn time. I'm waiting to see everyone's reaction to when you guys change your Facebook relationship status to engaged. I'll give you credit. You two were at least admitting you were 'in a relationship', even if no one was mentioned in it."

Rick laughed lightly, "I'll talk to Drew. I guess we're gonna go up to New Mexico soon so he can tell the rest of his family, before we do that. I'm looking forward to saying I'm engaged 'To Drew Alister'," he admitted, "don't know if he'll go for that, but we'll see. Either way I'll keep him," he ran his hand over Drew's back and smiled, glad he wasn't waking him up, "okay, enough about me. How are you and the family doing?"

"We're doing alright. The kids are growing like weeds. Looking forward to seeing you this holiday season... You are coming home at some point, right?" Justin wondered.

"I've missed them. I'll definitely be home sometime," Rick replied, adding another thing to his mental 'to do' list.

"Kevin's driving now. He hasn't gotten his license, he just has his permit, but I'm sure that will come this month before school starts," Justin added.

"Oh man. I can't believe he's already sixteen. Now I feel old," Rick groaned.

"You think you're old? I'm seven years older than you! How do you think I feel?" Justin laughed, and would have said something else, but a loud alarm near him went off, "I gotta go. I'm on a twenty-four-hour shift today."

"No worries. We can talk later. Be careful, bro," Rick replied.

"I will be. Talk soon. Take it easy, Rick," Justin ended his call.

Rick put his phone back on the nightstand and took a deep breath, smiling happily. " _I'm so lucky our relationship is back to the way it was,_ " he thought, turning to his side and draping his arm over Drew's back and settled in next to him.

"Does Justin know you called him while we were in bed together?" Drew murmured, having just woken up to hear the tail end of Rick's conversation.

"I don't think so," Rick laughed lightly, "he'd have been fine with it. He's gotten over all that. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"Nope, just woke up at the end of your conversation," Drew replied, shifting a little to look at his fiancé, "everything okay?"

"Yeah, it is. Part of me knew that my mom was keeping them informed, so I didn't rush to call them, but another part of me tells me I shouldn't have waited so long to call," Rick admitted.

"Well, I'm sure they understand and are just glad you're alive, because I definitely share that feeling," Drew replied, shifting.

"I can tell," Rick winked, hooking his finger into the undershirt Drew had on and tugged him closer, "still got some time before you have to get ready for work?"

Drew shifted to crawl on top of Rick and straddled his hips, "I don't know. I mean, if we come up with something to do I probably wouldn't have to, but you know, if we can't, I should get up."

"Oh, I think," Rick sat up and wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed Drew on the lips, "we can definitely find something to do."

~*~

It was after five-thirty when the guys finally exited their room and joined their family members out on the patio, dinner in the oven. With the guys finally up, everyone moved back inside to have dinner, talking lightly about plans and arrangements for the coming weeks. Though Drew wanted to help clean up after everyone was done, they insisted he go finish getting ready for work and when he rejoined them, they were back outside on the patio.

Taking a seat next to his fiancé, he slid his arm around him, "I'm gonna have to go," Drew admitted.

"I know. It's okay," Rick replied, pressing a kiss to his lips, "you usually leave earlier than this, so I don't want you running late."

Drew nodded, "I'll be okay if I leave now," he explained, hugging his fiancé, before standing up to say 'bye' to the others. Once he'd hugged their moms and Gabby, he moved to Andi, "Andi, walk me out. I need to talk to you about what happened at the hospital the other day."

Andi narrowed her eyes in confusion for a moment, but then realized he must mean the hostage situation a few of the doctors had been in, "alright," she nodded, standing up and moving towards him.

Rick stood up on his good leg and gave Drew a tight hug, pressing a kiss to his lips, "love you," he murmured, pulling back to look at Drew.

"Love you, too," Drew replied, smiling at him for a moment before reluctantly pulling from him, "see you in the morning."

"Don't work too hard," Rick smiled, sitting back down and waving at him.

"I'll try not to," Drew smirked, moving inside and through the living room to the front door, Andi following him. Grabbing his backpack, the two siblings headed outside to his SUV, where he threw his backpack into the backseat and closed the door before opening the driver's door and then turning to his sister, waiting, "okay, so I kinda lied," he told her softly, glancing around to make sure they didn't have followers or others around to hear them, "yes, Jordan would like to speak with you about what happened and her issues, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you."

Andi nodded, pulling her badge wallet out of her pocket and dug out a business card with the police department logo on it, her name and contact information, "just tell her to call my cell phone," she said, handing it to him, "I'd be happy to meet up with her before I leave, if she'd like, or talk on the phone. We won't be able to talk directly about the case, but I can make a few calls."

Drew nodded, pocketing the card, "okay. Thanks. Um," he rubbed his neck nervously for a moment and then shook them away, "Rick told me."

"I figured he would," Andi nodded, slipping her hands into her pockets, "I'm sorry I brought it up when I did. It just happened."

"It's okay," Drew held up a hand to stop her, "I'm glad you didn't dance around the subject. Rick and I are a while away from having kids, but we do want to have a family one day. I'm partially shocked you'd offer, but with the twin connection we have, I'm not too surprised. I'm just... Are you sure you'd be up for it?" Drew asked, "I mean... It takes a certain type of person to be willing to carry a child for someone else, even if it is for family..."

Andi stepped forward and rested her hands on his cheeks so he'd stop talking and look at her, "Andrew," she started, using his full name to catch his attention, "yes, I am sure. I know it's a big decision for all of us and I never imagined it'd be something you'd decide tomorrow. I just want you both to know that when you're ready, let me know. We'll figure it out," she said honestly, smiling at him, "right now, what I know is that you and Rick are two of the most amazing men I've ever known and you will be just as amazing as dads and I would be more than willing to help you guys have a family."

Drew smiled and stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, "thank you, Andrea," he murmured, begging his emotions to stay calm, "you don't realize how good that feels to hear you say that. We've only just talked about wanting a family, so to know we have a chance like this means the world to both of us and I don't think 'thank you' really expresses how thankful we are for your offer."

Listening to him talk, Andi smiled and rubbed his back, "you're welcome," she pulled away slightly to look at him, "there's no one in this world I'd ever do this for except for you guys and just to see you happy is all the thanks I'd ever need... As long as I can be their awesome aunt who spoils them like crazy and feeds them sugar before sending them back to their dads," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Laughing lightly at her words, Drew nodded, "you are definitely going to be their awesome aunt," he assured her, glancing at his watch and realizing he really did have to go, "when Rick and I decide anything, you'll be the first person we tell."

"Sounds like a plan," she nodded, letting go so he could get into his SUV, "now go to work before you're late, bro."

"Alright, alright, I'm going," he smirked, stepping away from her, "thanks again," he said as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. Putting the window down, he closed the driver's door and looked at her, "see you later."

"Yep, I'll be here," she promised.

Drew nodded, backed out of the driveway and waved at her before he began his trip to the hospital.

A few blocks away from the house, Drew was trying to calm his racing thoughts. He was pissed that he'd never come out to Andi on his own, but he pushed it aside, knowing she understood and he wasn't going to dwell on the past. Focusing on the present and his and Rick's future together, including the amazing gift his sister had offered them, he decided to put her offer and the distant future in the back of his mind for the time being, so he could put all his attention to the near future. " _Okay, I know we're not ready to talk a family right now, so as much as it's a wonderful offer and I'm thankful for it, I can't focus on it right now. I want to focus on me and Rick. He's gonna need me more and more over the next few months and I want to have a clear head for him. Once we get through the major obstacles coming at us, we can start to focus on more, like planning our wedding and maybe talk about a family,_ " Drew thought to himself as he smiled and twisted his engagement ring on his finger, feeling his fiancé there with him, even though he was still at home, " _our wedding. We actually get to plan a wedding. I'm excited things are going in the right direction._ "

~*~

**End of July / Early-August 2014**

After the hostage situation, everyone at San Antonio Memorial Hospital hoped to get back to 'normal', but that hope was quickly dashed. The hospital board suspended TC indefinitely, after Scott told them about his breakdown in the OR. TC's only way of coming back to work would be getting some help for his PTSD, so it would take some time for him to return. Landry also put in her two-week notice. She felt that the high-stress environment of the ER was not a good fit for her, like she first thought, so she was moving on to a little less stressful location. Ragosa also announced that he'd be taking some time off, due to some medical conditions that he'd just found out about, but wasn't sharing too much information with everyone. They were all confused and surprised at the sudden announcement, but were thankful he wasn't taking time off until the end of August, so he could still help with the transition of some temporary replacements for TC and Topher, who would be out at least six weeks. They'd be having two day shift ER attending doctors switch to nights for a few months, so Jordan wasn't the only attending physician on the night shift. Jordan reached out to Drew's sister for advice and then spent a few afternoons at the police station along with one of the hospital's lawyers, to explain exactly what happened, being honest with them from the start, like Andi told her to. After two days, she was quickly cleared of any charges, once they realized the whole situation. Technically Jordan was still the interim chief of the night shift, and after the legal incident, the board allowed her to remain in that position, but she found out that they were not going to find a temporary replacement for Ragosa, so she'd be doing his job as well. She wasn't looking forward to that, but agreed to take it on temporarily.

On the personal front of the hospital staff, they quickly figured out that Scott and Jordan broke up, so there was some strong tension between them for quite some time. Jordan also admitted to Drew and a few others that she and TC were rebuilding their relationship, but taking things slow, because she wanted him to get help for his PTSD, before they jumped back into a physical relationship. Drew also noticed that Kenny and Krista were getting 'closer' and he was curious if there was more going on between them than just being friends. He chose to not say anything, because he didn't want to get put into the middle of something, in case whatever relationship they had didn't work out, since he was friends with both.

~*~

At home, Drew and Rick just wanted to put July behind them, focusing on the good and getting life back to normal, but with family still visiting, it wouldn't be until they left that the guys could truly be themselves and settle into a routine. Until then they focused on spending time with their family until they had to leave.

Drew still had to work, not wanting to take time off right away, because they were still getting used to not having TC and Topher around, and dealing with the new attending doctors from day shift, who did things a little differently. Since Andi was only there for a short visit, she and Drew went out on his Saturday off to hang out for a while, before returning to Drew and Rick's so they could all discuss the next few weeks, knowing Drew and Rick would be going up to New Mexico soon.

Andi was the first to leave on Sunday, returning home to New Mexico, because she had to get back for work Monday.

Drew returned to work Monday evening and the week continued like the last few weeks had. The couple would get some alone time, while also spending time with their moms and Gabby. Wendy and Terry went a few times to help Janet Zia, Topher's wife, with the twins, while their older daughter was in school. Topher was improving, and was expected to be discharged soon, so the moms helped Janet out, until she could take some time off work to prepare for Topher to return home and by the end of the week Janet finally got a few weeks off, so though she appreciated the help from Wendy and Terry, she insisted she'd be alright and they should spend the last few days in town with their sons.

Wendy was the next one scheduled to leave, so she and Drew went out a few different times, just the two of them, and by Sunday, she was packing her car and heading home, having spent two-and-a-half weeks in San Antonio and was looking forward to Drew and Rick coming up to New Mexico soon. She would have stayed longer, but Drew's dad wouldn't be home until later in the week and she had some things she wanted to take care of.

With Wendy gone, Terry began sleeping at Drew and Rick's place, not wanting to stay at Rick's apartment alone. Most of Rick's belongings were already at their place now, except for the larger pieces of furniture and Rick was going to deal with that later.

Rick's leg was continuing to heal and his pain had decreased a lot, so he wasn't taking much of his pain medication, something he was really happy about. He still had a few staples in his leg, so when he returned to the prosthetic office for his appointment Wednesday, Dan was happy to see how well he'd healed and with the shape of his leg, he took some more measurements and gave him the actual silicone stockings and liners he'd wear under his prosthetic, but he didn't want him to start wearing them until his leg was completely healed. Dan wanted to see him in another two weeks, figuring by then he'd be healed completely and be able to put a little weight on his leg, so he could get a mold of his limb, that would be the start of his prosthetic, and everyone was happy to hear Rick was on the right track of healing.

Returning to Rick and Drew's place, the guys went to get a few hours of sleep, while Terry and Gabby came up with dinner. Once the guys were up, they all had dinner together and Drew headed to work, giving Gabby, Terry and Rick a chance to spend some time together before the two left the next day, to return home to Washington.

~*~

**Thursday, August 14, 2014**

It was almost seven-am and Rick, Gabby and Terry were mostly up. Gabby was in the shower, Terry was packing and Rick was with her in the living room, "sweetheart, are you sure you guys will be okay?" Terry asked concerned.

"Mom, we completely appreciate you coming down, but we'll be okay. The freezer is packed full of meals you guys made, so we're set for a while and if we need something, we know how to call you," he assured her.

Terry eyed him and took a deep breath, "alright," she walked over and took a seat next to him, "I just..."

Rick took her hand and pressed a kiss to it, "I know. You just want to make sure we'll be okay. We will. Drew and I are a pretty good team."

"You guys are," she agreed, smiling at him, "just promise me if you need help you'll ask."

"I promise. If we need help, we will call," he replied, squeezing her hand gently.

Terry looked at him proudly and reached up to rest her hand on his cheek, "you've grown up so well."

"Well, I had a good teacher," he smiled, "I'm glad you came down," he told her honestly.

"I am, too, and I hope you know that I would have come down, even if I had to take a few weeks off work. It just worked out that it happened during the summer, so I didn't have to," she explained.

"I know," Rick nodded, "and same goes for Gabs. I still can't believe she followed in your footsteps and became a teacher."

"She's always loved school and she's doing great at the high school," Terry replied.

"Yeah, she's told me she loves it. I missed her whole first year teaching while I was deployed," Rick admitted, "but we talked about it. I'm proud of her."

"We all are. Next time you're home, visit her. I'm sure she'd love the surprise," Terry told him, "I would, too."

"Well, considering that you both teach at former schools I went to, her at my high school and you at my middle school, maybe, but it'll be weird, too," Rick admitted, sitting back.

"Why?" Terry wondered, looking at him, "some of your old teachers are still there. They'd love to see you."

"I know, but I'd be going back," he motioned to his leg, "different than when I was there and it'd bring back memories of playing sports and I don't know if I'll be able to do the same as I did before."

"Oh, sweetheart, you heard Dan. You can get back to all the activity you did, it'll just take time," she told him.

"Like I've said, I don't want to get my hopes to high," Rick replied, hearing the bathroom door open, so he knew his sister was done, "I don't know. I just don't want to think about things that might not happen. I'm trying to just focus on the positive right now."

"That's a good thing to do, but there is nothing wrong with hoping or setting goals to work towards. If you want to play sports again, make it a goal. You can do it," she told him.

"I am, I mean, yeah, I want to, but right now, my goal is walking. I figure once I can walk without crutches, I can work on jogging and running. Once that can happen, I'll work on sports, but that's a way off. I'd rather focus on the near future," Rick replied.

"Okay, then we'll focus on that," Terry confirmed, patting his knee, "I'm very glad Drew knows about all this medical stuff. He's a keeper. I'm so happy you guys found each other."

"Me, too," Rick smiled, glancing at his sister as she joined them, towel drying her hair, "Drew's my one and only."

"I need one of those," Gabby commented, "you've got someone, Justin and Kelly both have someone and they've got kids. I'd like to find the right one. I thought I had, but I was wrong," she replied, looking at Rick.

"Don't be in a hurry. You're young. You'll find that someone and when you do, the guys and I will check him out first," Rick replied, "not gonna have you get cheated on again."

Gabby smirked and nodded, "alright and, um, just don't mention anything to Justin. I haven't told him. I'm worried he'll..."

"You haven't told our older brother that Dylan cheated on you?" Rick gasped looking at her, "are you kidding? It's bad enough I'm here and I can't get up there right now to beat the shit out of the little asshole, but you should have told Justin!"

"And let Justin get in trouble for harassing him for something stupid? Dylan cheated on me. I've dealt with it. I'm moving on. He probably already has, too," Gabby retorted, sitting down to put her shoes and socks on, "don't. You haven't brought it up since it happened and I'd rather you not start going all big brother on me now; we're leaving soon and I don't want to leave on a sour note."

Rick eyed his sister, "you won't," he promised, "but bottling everything up will only make it worse later."

"I know," Gabby started, taking a deep breath, "I've dated guys before and we've broken up and I've moved on. Yes, this is the first time I've been cheated on, so yeah, it's a big deal, but then I look at you," she looked at her older brother, "and I see what happened and I see you fighting with everything you've got to get better, even though you don't have a leg right now and I realize that what happened to me is nothing compared to what happened to you. You have every right to be pissed at the world and be negative, but you're not. You're looking forward to getting your life back and you're happy. I think, if you can do that after everything that happened, then I can deal with a break-up," she moved and sat down next to him, "you're my inspiration."

"Wow," Rick started, slipping his arm around her shoulders, "I never imagined I'd be someone's inspiration. I don't feel like I am. I just feel like I'm living and fighting to get my life back."

"You're not letting this bring you down," Gabby told him, resting her hand on his knee, the first time she ever touched his leg since she'd been there, "you're fighting back."

Rick smiled and nodded, "yeah, I am, because, like I've said a lot recently, I realized I have a lot to live for and a life I want to get back to," he heard the front door open and turned just as his fiancé walked into the door, "and I have an amazing guy I want to grow old with."

Hearing Rick's words, Drew looked up and caught his gaze, "you talking about me?" He asked with a grin, closing the door. Dropping his bag by the door, he moved towards the back of the couch and leaned over to it, "hey."

"Hey back and yes," Rick nodded, leaning towards him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, "welcome home."

"Thanks," Drew smiled, looking at the three of them, "everything alright?"

"Yeah, we're just talking," Rick replied, deciding to let the conversation settle.

Gabby reached up and rested her hand on Drew's shoulder, "do me a favor," she looked at him.

"What's that?" Drew asked curiously.

"Please take care of my brother. I don't just mean now, I mean forever," she replied.

Drew smiled and patted her hand before moving around the couch to sit on the coffee table in front of them, "I promise all of you, I will do everything in my power to take care of him, treat him right and be the best friend and partner I can be. I will never purposely hurt him and if I somehow do, I'll do anything I can to make it up to him," Drew reached out and took Rick's hand in his, "because he's the love of my life and I'm not letting go."

Rick lifted their joined hands up and pressed a kiss to Drew's hand, squeezing it gently at his words, "neither am I."

Gabby and Terry shared a smile and accepted his honesty, "okay. I'm gonna hold you to that. And if I find out differently, you've got some people to answer to," Gabby warned, hoping he realized she and Rick's siblings would defend their brother, "sorry, I don't want to sound mean or threatening, because I'm not saying you will, but after what I just went through..."

"I know," Drew nodded, knowing exactly what she was getting at, "and you don't have to apologize. You have every right to say that to me and I'm really glad he has people willing to look out for him. As I said, I will do everything I can do be the person he deserves, because I'm far from perfect, but I like to think we're perfect for each other."

"We are," Rick confirmed, looking at Drew.

"I completely agree," Terry replied, motioning for Drew to get closer.

Leaning forward, Terry and Gabby put their arms around both guys and the four shared a group hug, "I hope I can find someone like you one day, Drew. Rick's lucky to have you."

Drew smiled as he pulled back from their hug and looked at her, "I'm just as lucky to have Rick and you will find a great guy one day. Probably in the most random and unexpected place."

Rick nodded in agreement, smiling at his fiancé, "like Basic training."

"Yeah," Drew smirked, still shocked that they met on day 1 of Basic, "exactly like that and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Neither would I," Rick replied with a grin, taking his hand in his again, "it's gonna make a great story for our kids one day."

Drew nodded in agreement, smiling at the thought of them having kids, "yeah, it's going to."

Rick shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, "okay, I love you guys, but if we keep talking sappy like this, I'm gonna hurl."

The group laughed lightly, "yeah, we probably should finish packing," Terry agreed, "but I'm just so happy to see you guys happy."

"Thanks, mom," Rick replied, tugging his fiancé towards him when both Terry and Gabby got up. Wrapping his arms around Drew once he'd settled next to him, Rick pressed a kiss to Drew's cheek and looked at his mom and sister, before eyeing his fiancé and remembering something that was said earlier, "I'm definitely keeping him."

~*~

Putting their conversation aside, Gabby and Terry continued to pack up and Drew and Rick helped them a little bit, before the four moved into the kitchen to have breakfast. Talking lightly during preparation and eating, Drew and Rick did the dishes afterward when Terry and Gabby went to finish packing and make sure they had everything.

By nine-am, Drew took their bags out to their rental car and gave the three Lincolns a chance to say their goodbyes. It wasn't easy, they'd all enjoyed the time together over the past few weeks since they'd been there, but the two women knew it was time to get home. They could see that Rick was doing really well; Drew was taking good care of him, so it made it easier to leave, knowing he was in good hands.

With hugs, promises to keep in touch and sharing 'I love you' with them, Gabby and Terry reluctantly said 'bye' and the guys wished them a safe trip and walked them to the front porch. Once their rental car was out of sight, they moved back inside. Drew closed the door behind them and saw Rick lean against the back of the couch so he didn't have to lean on the crutches, "you okay?" Drew wondered, stepping towards him.

Rick took a deep breath and nodded, "yeah," he murmured reaching out to wrap his arms around Drew and tugged him closer, "bummed to see them go, but I'm glad they were here. Looking forward to seeing them again."

"Me, too," Drew agreed, slipping his arms around his neck, "we'll see them this winter sometime."

"Really?" Rick raised a curious eyebrow at him.

"Yeah," Drew narrowed his eyes in confusion, "you didn't think you'd get to go home for the holidays?"

"Well, I don't know," Rick admitted, "we haven't really talked about it. I want to, of course, but if we're coming out to your family, won't they want us to go there?" He asked and when Drew gave him the 'I don't know' shrug, he continued, "I officially know what a couple deals with when they have to figure out who's family to spend what holiday with."

Drew rested his hands on Rick's shoulders, "true, but it's August. We have a few months to figure out all that. I kinda figured we could do one holiday in New Mexico, another in Washington and go somewhere for New Year's," Drew suggested, "it'll all depends on how much time I can get off, but we'll figure it out."

Rick smiled, nodding at his suggestion and then glanced around, "you hear that?"

"What?" Drew looked around the room, "hear what?"

"That's my point," Rick grinned shifting forward to press a kiss to Drew's lips.

"Why Captain Lincoln, are you suggesting we may be _alone_ in _our_ home?" Drew drawled, one arm slipping around Rick's neck as his other snaked around his back.

Rick nodded and slipped his hands under Drew's t-shirt to rest them against his warm skin, "that's exactly what I'm saying," he murmured, loving hearing him call it their home, "what should we do about it?"

Drew grinned and stepped back from Rick long enough to lock the front door, then turned back to him and pulled his t-shirt off, "we don't have anywhere to be... until I have to go to work tonight and I..." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Rick's lips, "think we should go to _bed_."

"Oh yeah?" Rick licked his lips, loving the sight of his shirtless fiancé. Reaching out, he rested his hand on his chest and grinned brightly, "I think we should, too."

~*~

The guys made it to their room, crawling into their comfortable bed, before taking their time making love to each other without worry of being interrupted by someone barging into their room. Soon, both were content, happy, relaxed and drifting off to sleep.

Hours later, Drew woke from his dreams to find himself on his back, Rick leaning against him with his hand on his chest. Smiling, Drew ran his hand through Rick's hair, laughing lightly at how shaggy it was getting. It'd only been a month since he'd gotten home, but his hair grew pretty fast and it was already a few inches longer than it had been. Drew had never known Rick to have longer hair, only the standard military cut, and he was curious how he'd look with it longer. He'd only seen pictures of Rick from high school and college with it longer, but it wasn't the same as seeing him the same way in real life. 

"Don't stop," Rick murmured when Drew's hand stilled on his scalp, "feels good."

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Drew asked softly, continuing what he was doing.

"Yeah, but it's okay," he replied, his eyes still closed as he relaxed against Drew.

Drew smiled at his fiancé and shifted to press a kiss to his forehead, "just realizing I've never known you to have hair that wasn't cut really short."

"I used to wear it longer. Probably will if I'm not working. It'll go if I go back to work," Rick replied, opening his eyes to look at him, "you okay with that?"

"Yeah, it's your head. You always look great," Drew replied, "just new to me. That's all."

Rick nodded and shifted a little so he could look more at Drew and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Drew nodded, reaching up to brush his other hand over Rick's cheek.

"Do you think we would have met if I hadn't joined the military?" Rick wondered, something they'd never really talked about before, but recently, it'd been on his mind.

Drew was silent for a long moment, thinking about their lives and trying to figure it out, "honestly, I don't know, but what I can say is that I fully believe we're meant to be together, so somehow, if we hadn't met when we did, I have faith we would have met one day."

Rick smiled and slid his arm around him a little more in a hug, "I feel the same way."

"Nice to know," Drew returned his hug and smile, pressing a kiss to his lips before looking at him, "what's on your mind?"

"Nothing, really, but I just had a dream that reminded me of a conversation I had with one of the civilian contractors working with my unit," Rick admitted, "they told me with what I knew and what I was doing for the Army, I could get paid a lot more by working for a contractor. I'd pushed it aside and just thought of it now. I love the Army and I'm glad I joined, I'm glad I met you when I did, I just mean, if I had started working with a contractor and not joined the Army, we wouldn't have met when we did."

Drew nodded in understanding and tightened his grip on his fiancé to hold him close, "we would have met somehow, even if you hadn't joined the Army."

Rick smiled at him and leaned closer to his fiancé, "I meant what I said, I'm glad we met when we did."

"Me, too," Drew agreed, nudging Rick so he'd lay on his back. As Rick took the hint and shifted onto his back, Drew crawled over him and straddled his hips, "because we might not be engaged right now if we hadn't met when we did."

Reaching up, Rick rested his hands on Drew's chest, letting his fingertips gently brush over his toned abdomen, "so true and I'm really glad we're engaged," he sat up slightly and slid one arm around Drew's neck to pull him close, "because I'm really looking forward to being your husband," he added, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Drew deepened the kiss and smiled as they pulled apart, "I can't wait, but maybe right now, we could focus on soaking up the _alone_ time."

Rick smirked before kissing him again, "babe, I love how you think."

~*~

"You know, we really need to pack. I can't do it all while you're at work," Rick muttered a while later as the two laid contently together.

"Oh yeah," Drew murmured, "we're leaving in the morning."

"Don't tell me you forgot," Rick commented, sitting up to look at him, "you're not getting cold feet are you?"

Drew took a deep breath, "no, it's not that," he sighed, "it's just nerves."

Rick nodded, "yeah, I know that. It was not easy to tell my firefighter father I was gay."

Glancing at him, pieces fell together and Drew nodded, "you said he didn't take it well?"

"Not at first. Justin didn't either, but they came around," Rick replied, rubbing his shoulder gently, "your mom, Andi and Maria know, so I'm pretty sure Liz has figured something out. I just wish I could tell you how your dad will take it."

"Me, too," Drew agreed, "nothing he's gonna say is gonna change my mind, I just... I don't know. There's so many scenarios."

"True and I bet you've been trying to figure each one out, haven't you?" Rick wondered, "I've been there before. I know what's going on in your head."

"I'm glad I'll have you with me. Wish I could have been there for you," Drew murmured.

Rick rested his hand on Drew's chest and nodded, "that would have been nice, but I was alright. I mean, yeah, it hurt, but I had my mom and my sisters' support, so it wasn't like everyone in my family turned their back on me."

Drew nodded and took a deep breath, "that's good. I know a lot of people back home. I grew up there, but I don't really have a lot of super best friends back there. The few guys and girls I do know are more just acquaintances now. We've grown apart a lot since we graduated high school."

"That's understandable. Same here. You've met the two close friends I have from school. The rest I grew apart from," Rick replied.

"Yeah, that's about the same with me. I still try to keep in touch on a regular basis with a handful of close friends from school. I don't know," Drew looked towards the window, "does it make sense when I say that it feels like my life really started when I joined the Army? I know I had a life before the Army and the Army isn't the only part of my life, but..." Drew sighed, not really sure how to explain.

"You hid yourself from your classmates, because you didn't want anyone to know you were gay. In a way, joining the Army was the line you drew in the sand, so to speak, between being gay and hiding. You still had to hide from people in the Army, yes, but we met when you joined the Army and two years later we became a couple, so you put your past behind you and focused on a future where you could truly be yourself, in all senses of the word," Rick told him.

Drew smiled at Rick's words and nodded, "yeah, exactly. Joining the Army was the turning point in my life. Sure, I couldn't be 'out' like civilians could be, but that didn't stop us from finding each other, which I'm so thankful for," he looked at his fiancé and reached up to brush his hand along his cheek, "now you're the best part of my past, present and future."

Rick leaned into his touch and returned his smile, "you're the best of mine, too," he replied honestly. After a moment he smirked, "but don't think that confession is gonna get you out of packing, mister."

"Can't a guy be sentimental without it meaning something else?" Drew sighed dramatically.

"Of course he can, but if you thought I'd forget I needed help to pack, it didn't work," Rick replied patting him on the chest.

"Damn it," Drew sighed again and nodded, "fine. I'll help pack."

Rick laughed lightly, "thank you."

~*~

It wasn't that Drew was trying to get out of packing, but it wasn't the most fun thing to do in the world. He appreciated his talk with Rick and was glad Rick did change the subject, so they could focus on more important things than worrying about how his dad would take his coming out. That was the main reason for their trip to New Mexico and Drew hoped it wouldn't ruin their little getaway.

Drew was looking forward to showing his fiancé around where he grew up. He knew he didn't talk about 'home' much, so Rick only knew a few bits and pieces that Drew had shared over the years, or what Rick had learned recently from Wendy and Andi. Drew was ready to finally open up about his past and knew this wouldn't be the only trip they'd take to New Mexico.

For the next few hours, the guys worked on packing. They were going to be gone a little under a week, so they didn't need a whole lot of clothes, but it was two of them packing, not just Drew throwing some things into a bag for a short trip there for a holiday or a rare long weekend at home.

It took a few hours, but both Rick and Drew got duffel bags packed with some clothes and other necessities. They were going to stay at Andi's place, in 'Drew's Room', Andi's guest room that he always used, so Drew already had some things there, and they could always run to the store if they needed something they'd forgotten.

Now that Rick was home and living with Drew, both guys had laptops and phones and other gadgets floating around the house and since they were only going to be gone a short time, they didn't pack many of them, other than their smartphones and chargers.

By six that night, the guys had finished packing and were mostly ready to go, their bags piled by the front door, now that all of the boxes from Rick's apartment had been moved into the garage temporarily. The guys ate one of the many meals their moms had made while they were there and had left in the freezer and soon found themselves kicked back in the living room on the couch.

"I'll be getting off sometime after midnight. I don't know exactly what time," Drew commented, glancing at Rick.

"That's fine. I'm surprised you could get off early, anyway. It's cool and works out, but I didn't expect it," Rick replied.

"Same here. Jordan offered and it's an eight-hour drive, so I definitely could use an extra few hours to sleep before we go," Drew told him, "you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"

Rick glared at Drew, "don't even start. I'll be fine."

Drew smirked and wrapped his arms around Rick, "alright, I'll lay off. Call me if you need something," he replied, "did you hear from your mom or sister? Did they get back to Washington okay?"

"Yeah, actually Gabby just messaged me and said that their plane just landed at the airport," Rick replied, motioning to his phone, "my dad's picking them up."

"Oh, cool," Drew smiled, "I'm glad they made it. I feel like we should do something to thank them more than just saying it."

"I wouldn't know what," Rick told him, "but yeah, we could so something."

~*~

**Thursday Night**

It seemed to be quieter than usual in the ER and Drew was thankful for a slow night. He knew it'd be easier to leave if they didn't have as many patients, because he hated putting them in a bind, but everyone assured him they were glad he was getting some time off, he deserved it after everything that had gone on in his life in the past month.

~*~

**Friday, August 15, 2014**

"Drew, why don't you get going," Jordan commented, a little after one-am.

"You sure?" Drew asked, setting his chart down on the nurse's station, "I can stay longer."

"I know, but you just discharged your last patient and I'd hate for you to get involved with a detailed case that keeps you here until the end-of-shift. I promised you could get off early, and I'm sticking to it. Go home, get some sleep, have a fun and safe trip, spend some quality time with your fiancé and enjoy your family," Jordan smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

Weighing his options, Drew nodded and smiled at her, "thank you, Jordan. I appreciate you letting me have some time off."

"You're welcome and you deserve it Drew. You've been through a lot recently, but you've really stepped up here and it's been noticed and very much appreciated," Jordan smiled, "so go. Don't worry about work for a while and we'll see you later."

Drew nodded again and smiled, "alright. Thanks."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Up Next:** The guys take a road trip to Drew's hometown and Rick finally gets to tease his fiancé about where he's from!
> 
> A/N5: Hope you all enjoyed! Please be gentle, but let me know what you think! I know I spanned some time in this chapter, but I did want to move forward. After New Mexico, we'll see more of them at home, Rick's gonna go through some stuff and soon we'll be getting into some areas touched on in season 2... But I'm twisting up some of it. Hope you all are willing to stick with me and them!  
> A/N6: You may notice Drew's older sister's name has changed. Many years ago when I first created her character, I named her Sydney, 'Syd' for short. Season 3 introduced us to Syd Jennings, so since only chapter 9 had a scene with her on a phone call, I made an executive decision to change the character before I moved forward, so I can use the character of Syd Jennings and there will be no confusion.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After knowing each other for seven years and dating for five, Rick finally gets to see Drew's hometown and Drew faces his ex-girlfriend in a restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Thanks for all the support and warm welcome with my first update in years! I truly appreciate all the awesome comments; they help motivate me to keep writing! I'm sorry I'm not able to reply to everyone, but I try my best. Know that I love and appreciate you all! You can also friend me on Twitter (EJ8302) and we can chat there, too!
> 
> A/N4: It's so sad to say that the Night Shift has been canceled after 4 seasons, as of Friday, October 13, 2017. This show and God have gotten me through my mom's passing, my dad's amputations and so much more. I really am going to miss this show, but I'll continue to follow Brendan, Luke and other cast members on to their next projects... I've also made some amazing friends through this show (you know who you are!) and it's sad we don't have new episodes to talk about, but I'm blessed with their friendship and I know we can continue to talk about the show and keep in touch - Night Shift Family Forever! In the show, I will mostly miss Drew, Rick, their relationship and the family they've created! But don't fear! This will not keep me from writing 'Stronger Together'. I have things planned to cover the rest of the series and this opens more options and ideas for me to continue on in 'Stronger Together', even after I reach the end of the TV series... And who knows? Maybe Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or another TV network will pick it up and give us another season! Trying to stay positive!

**Friday, August 15, 2014**  
With permission from Jordan, Drew slipped off to the locker room and changed into his street clothes. Gathering his things, he threw his bag over his shoulder and moved back towards the nurse's station, where Kenny and Krista were now standing.

"You're leaving already?" Krista pouted when she saw him grab his thermos.

"Yep, Jordan just gave me the green light to go," Drew nodded, drinking the last of his coffee.

"It'll be weird to not have you around for like a week," Krista admitted.

"I know, but I'll be back and you can always text me. I'll respond when I can," Drew replied, shifting his bag on his shoulder.

"I hope you guys enjoy your trip. Just think of us worker bees while you're up north, basking in the New Mexico sun," Kenny grinned, draping an arm around Drew's shoulders, "speaking of New Mexico, where exactly are you going?"

"That's for me and Rick to know and you guys to find out when I get back. I don't talk about where I'm from for a reason," Drew admitted.

"Apparently there's a lot you don't talk about," Kenny smirked, nudging Drew lightly, "oh come on. Is it like Albuquerque, Santa Fe or Carlsbad? Or Central New Mexico? Come on, give me something."

"No," Drew shook his head, "I'll tell you when I get back."

~*~

Drew parked in the driveway, happy to be home. It was still dark, now around two-am, but the living room light was on, so Drew was curious if Rick was still up or if he was in bed and had left the light on for Drew. Grabbing his bag, he headed inside, opening the door quietly, in case Rick was asleep. Dropping his bag by the door and closing it gently and locking it, Drew glanced around and saw no sign of Rick, so he moved towards their room.

Pausing in the doorway, he smiled, seeing his fiancé laying in bed. He was sitting up a little, a crossword puzzle book on his chest, a pencil in his hand and his glasses on his face. Rick rarely wore his glasses to read, not really needing them, but they helped his eyes focus. He could go without them, so he never took them on deployments, but since he'd been home, he been wearing them a little more, which was a change for Drew, but this was just another part of his fiancé that he loved.

The bedside table light was on, so it was easy to tell that Rick had fallen asleep while doing a crossword puzzle. Stepping in softly, Drew gently took the pencil and book from Rick and carefully removed his glasses, setting them all aside on the table and then turned the light down to its lower setting, before kicking his shoes off and crawling into bed next to him.

It was at that moment Rick stirred, having felt the bed shifting, "you're home," he murmured.

"Yeah, just got home. It's almost two. Go back to sleep," Drew replied softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Rick shifted closer to Drew and slid his arm around his fiancé, "now I have an even more comfortable pillow," Rick smiled, leaning his head on Drew's shoulder.

Drew smiled and draped an arm over Rick's body and looked at him, "talk to you in the morning."

"Okay," Rick nodded, drifting back to sleep within a few minutes.

Watching him for a few moments, Drew smiled again and closed his own eyes, letting his nerves for their trip wash away as he began to slip off to sleep.

~*~

The only thing the guys really knew about their trip up to New Mexico was they wanted to leave around noon. That would put them at Andi's place around eight that night San Antonio time, seven-pm New Mexico time, since they were in different time zones. They'd talked briefly about staying in a hotel, but Drew had never stayed in them, having always stayed with his parents, or Andi once she got her own place, so Rick didn't mind continuing that tradition; they also knew it'd save money they could put to vacations later in the year and their wedding.

When Rick's eyes opened a little after eight-am, he smiled at his fiancé. Drew was on his side, his left hand was resting on Rick's chest, so he could see his ring and he realized he never thought much about the next step with rings, " _wow. I got the ring for him, but I can't believe I didn't think about how long he may wear it. I just planned to give it to him and hoped we'd get engaged, but I never thought about us getting wedding rings. Will we just get me one, and he'll continue to wear this one? Or will we get matching ones? I think I'd like to get matching ones, but I guess that's something we'll decide together,_ " Rick smiled at the thought of making plans for getting married.

"What's on your mind?" Drew asked softly, waking up feeling Rick touching his hand, "you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm great," Rick assured him, "I was just thinking about rings. I never really thought that far ahead when I got this ring for you, so now I'm curious and definitely looking forward to exchanging rings when we get married."

Drew smiled and shifted his hand to take Rick's in his, "I'm looking forward to that, too. I'd hate to not wear this one, because I love it, but I want us to have matching rings."

"I think that can be arranged. You can wear this one on your right hand after we get married," Rick smiled, "uniform rules state we can wear up to two rings in uniform; one wedding band and one other ring."

"I know," Drew replied, shifting to kiss him and took the ring off and put it on his right hand, "yeah I could get used to that once we get married," he agreed, before returning his ring to where it had been, and turning back to his side, "but I'll keep it here for now. Feels weird not having it on there."

Rick took Drew's hand and squeezed it gently, "I like seeing you wearing it, too. It means a lot for us and our future."

Drew nodded and looked at him, "it does. We're gonna be husbands one day. That's awesome!" He replied, pressing a kiss to Rick's lips, "I'm looking forward to that."

"Me, too," Rick agreed, returning his kiss, but as they pulled apart briefly, he eyed him, "what are you going to do with it when we get up to New Mexico? Are you going to have it on when you talk with everyone or wait until they know?"

"I'm not taking it off. If they want to ask and try to figure it out, that's fine. I'm not gonna hide it. That's as bad as not telling anyone about us for so long," Drew admitted softly.

Rick brushed his hand over Drew's cheek and nodded, "that's up to you. I'd understand if you wanted to take it off for a little while. I'm just following your lead on this trip."

"Thanks," Drew crawled over his fiancé and straddled his hips, "do we have to get up right now?"

Shifting a little and resting his hands on Drew's hips, Rick smirked, "I don't know. What do you have in mind?" He wondered curiously.

Drew leaned in and kissed Rick, "maybe staying in bed a little longer."

"A little extra rest before our trip might be a good idea," Rick eyed him, "but I'd have to check with my doctor if you were suggesting any _physical_ activity."

"I think a bit of activity," Drew paused, grinning as he kissed him once more, "is just what the doctor ordered."

~*~

"Now we really need to get up," Rick murmured, seeing it was after ten-am, "if we're going to still leave at noon, we need to get ready."

Drew sighed, "but I'm comfortable."

"I know. So am I, but it's a long drive up there and you're the one who wanted to leave by noon," Rick smirked.

"Oh yeah," Drew sighed again and pushed himself to sit up in bed, "okay, I'm up. You want to shower first or eat first?"

Rick thought for a moment and sat up next to him, "shower first, get the Jeep packed up and then we can leave and pick up something on the way."

"Good idea," Drew agreed, turning to kiss his fiancé, "meet you in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I'll get the shower started," Rick nodded. He could tell Drew was not up for moving, so he wanted to help gently nudge his fiancé so they could get going, though he wished he didn't have to get up either.

~*~

Rick and Drew were both used to taking quick showers and had gotten into a comfortable routine when they'd shower together, so it went smoothly. Rick had enough strength in his good leg to balance himself, but leaned on Drew for some support and Drew would help Rick where he needed it. This also gave Drew a chance to see how Rick's leg was healing.

Noticing it was taking a little longer than normal, Rick grew concerned and glanced at his fiancé, "everything alright?"

Drew stood back up with another staple in his hand, "yeah. Just another staple came loose," Drew replied, pressing a kiss to Rick's lips as he pinned Rick more against the wall.

Using every ounce of strength he had left, Rick pulled back, "baby, we don't have time," he muttered.

"Not even," Drew paused, pressing soft kisses down Rick's neck to his shoulder, "for this?"

Rick shifted and laughed lightly as the chains of their dog tags twisted together, "Drew, I want to, I really do, but we don't have time."

As much as Drew wanted to complain, he knew Rick was right, "alright," he conceded, "raincheck?"

Rick rested a hand on Drew's cheek and nodded, "of course."

~*~

The guys managed to get out of the shower and back to their room and Rick had a feeling he knew why Drew seemed to be stalling. After getting his briefs and shorts on, Rick paused and glanced at Drew who was halfway dressed, "okay, I can't wait any longer to ask," Rick started.

"What's up?" Drew wondered, grabbing the last few things he needed to get dressed and moved to sit next to Rick on the bed.

"Be honest with me," Rick looked at him, "do you have any reservations about going home to New Mexico? This is your thing. It's something _you_ have to be ready to do yourself. I'm going along for moral support and to be by your side like I will be for the rest of our lives, but since we've been planning this trip, you haven't been acting very ready to go and I don't want you to only be doing this because we got engaged. You, yourself, have to be ready to come out to your family. I can't make that decision for you."

Drew gathered his thoughts as he continued getting dressed, until he had just his shoes to put on, giving himself time to think about Rick's words. As he finished, he sat up and rested his hand on Rick's knee, "I'm scared to death," he admitted honestly, finally saying what he'd been thinking since he decided it was time, "but as much as I'm nervous, I'm completely ready. I'm tired of keeping you a secret from them. You're the best part of my life," he assured him, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips, "however they take it, I want my family to know I'm extremely happy and I'm going to marry my best friend and man I love with all my heart."

Rick smiled and leaned in, resting a hand on Drew's cheek as he pressed their foreheads together, "I'm glad you feel that way," he murmured, shifting slightly so he could look into Drew's eyes, "I love you and you're the best part of my life, too."

"Good to know," Drew wrapped his arms around Rick in a tight hug, "so, I promise, no one is forcing me to come out. I'm ready to do this, no matter how nervous I am. I know I'll have you by my side, so it doesn't seem as scary and I also know that my mom and Andi are supporting us, so it's not like everyone will be getting this news. Part of me wished I did this a long time ago, but I think I just didn't have the confidence to do it until now."

"If I hadn't come out to my family when I did, I probably would just be coming out to them now, too. It's only been a few years since the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy ended, so I completely understand why you held on," Rick agreed, "being out to our families is also different than being out to everyone we know or work with and I've never felt like you were 'hiding' me'; we both had reasons to keep it from the people we worked with, but I'm glad we don't have to pretend anymore and that you're ready to finally share the rest of your life with your family. It's like telling them is one of the final pieces of our coming out as a happy gay couple."

Drew smiled and nodded, taking Rick's hand and lacing their fingers together as he gently squeezed it. Lifting their joined hands, Drew pressed a soft kiss to the top and took a deep breath, "it is one of the last pieces. I still need to tell my unit, but that can wait until later. This is more important to me," he told him, "so you ready to go to New Mexico?"

Rick nodded and let go of his hand so he could wrap his arms around his fiancé, "let's go to New Mexico."

~*~

Finally ready to get going, the guys double checked they had everything packed and then Drew loaded his SUV, while Rick wandered around the house, making sure doors were locked, the stove was off and it was safe to leave. Once their bags were in the Jeep, Drew and Rick made one last walk-through before they headed out to the Jeep after locking their front door.

Piling in, once they were settled, Drew backed out of the driveway and they headed for a fast food place to get a late-breakfast, early-lunch that they could eat on the way out of town and soon were on Interstate-10 heading west.

It'd been quite some time since they'd taken a road trip together. Normally when they went on vacation, they got out of Texas and flew somewhere, so a long drive in the car was not something they were used to, but were looking forward to it together.

Drew was used to the long car drive on his own, listening to whatever music he could find on the radio to listen to, but now he had a passenger to enjoy the trip with. He and Rick were able to talk and joke around like they'd done in the past, even just as friends and they quickly settled on a country radio station they could get a signal for, leaving it down low so they could talk over it, but still hear and enjoy the music.

"How come you never fly home?" Rick wondered, "wouldn't it be faster?"

"Not really. With having to get to the airport early for a flight and then the three- or four-hour flight, plus waiting on someone to pick me up or renting a car, it makes more sense for me to drive. Then I've got my own vehicle while I'm there, and have a little more freedom," Drew explained.

"That makes sense," Rick agreed, shifting on his seat so he could look more at Drew.

Drew glanced at Rick, "how's your leg doing?"

"It's alright. The incision is still sore when I bump it, but I'm glad most of the staples are gone," Rick replied, "I've been trying to put a little weight on it, too, but it's still pretty fresh, so it hurts too much right now."

"That'll get better," Drew assured him, "I'm just glad you've gotten through the worst of the initial bone pain. Sure, getting up and walking with a prosthetic will be painful, but I don't think it'll be the same type of pain you first had."

"I can already tell it's not going to be the same," Rick admitted, "but if it gets bad, I've got you to distract me."

Drew smiled and reached over, taking Rick's hand in his, "I definitely can do that."

Rick settled into his seat and smiled, but after a moment, a thought crossed his mind and he stiffened up and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Drew asked, noticing Rick's sudden change in mood.

Glancing out the windows, Rick couldn't avoid seeing dry, desert like surroundings, "I just had a flashback," he murmured, taking a deep breath and sitting up in his seat a little, nervously adjusting his sunglasses, "there's a lot of dry land out there... Reminds me of being in the desert."

Immediately the pieces fell into place and Drew remembered the first time he went back to New Mexico after he'd gotten back from his first deployment. He'd had a similar reaction, "hey," Drew reached over and rested his hand on Rick's shoulder, "I'm so sorry. I totally forgot I had the same reaction the first time I'd driven home after I got back years ago," Drew explained, "I should have warned you. You want me to stop?"

"No," Rick shook his head and took another calming breath, "I'll be okay and there's nothing for you to be sorry about. You couldn't have known I'd have this reaction," he explained, reaching up to rest his hand on Drew's, "I'm good. I know where we are and I'm with you. But, if you don't mind, I'm gonna close my eyes for a while and maybe get some sleep."

"That's totally alright," Drew nodded and took his hand in his again, "I'm here and you're safe with me."

Rick smiled at him and kissed his hand, "I love you."

Drew returned his smile and squeezed his hand gently, "back at ya, babe."

~*~

Drew was glad that Rick had drifted off to sleep. He felt bad he'd had a flashback and hoped he didn't have any more. Drew could handle them, but he hadn't been deployed as much as Rick had, so he just hoped Rick didn't have to go through anymore. The scenery wasn't all dry and sandy, but a large portion of what they passed was dry desert, so it wasn't surprising the soldier had flashbacks of being deployed.

About halfway into their trip, Drew neared the outskirts of Fort Stockton, Texas, a place he usually stopped to refuel and get something to drink. He hated to wake Rick up, but he didn't want to freak him out when he woke to them being stopped or him not being there, "hey, Rick," Drew reached over and gently rested his hand on his shoulder, "babe, wake up."

Rick jumped a little at the sudden touch, but once he heard Drew's voice he calmed down, "hey, I did fall asleep."

"You did," Drew confirmed.

"We're not there yet, are we?" Rick asked, glancing around and noticing a sign on the side of the road for New Mexico, and he didn't feel like he'd slept too long.

"No, about halfway. We're on I-10 still and once we get past most of Fort Stockton, I usually stop at a gas station to refuel and get something to drink. I didn't want you to freak out if you woke up and I wasn't in the car," he admitted, looking at him.

"Oh, thanks," Rick smiled, shifting a little and rubbing his neck.

"You want anything when we stop?" Drew wondered.

"I guess just a water, but I'm not gonna drink much," Rick replied, yawning a little, "sorry for sleeping. Probably not the most enjoyable trip companion."

Drew took Rick's hand in his hand squeezed it gently, "it's okay, babe. I'm used to this trip alone and I expected you'd sleep some of it, because it can get boring. It was nice to look over and see you here, even if you were sleeping, so don't worry about it. You can make it up to me tonight when we get there," he winked.

Rick laughed lightly, but nodded, "yeah, I can definitely do that," he squeezed his hand and resisted the urge of leaning over and kissing him; he didn't want to distract him from driving, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Drew nodded, glancing at Rick briefly before turning his eyes back to the road and the Friday traffic around Fort Stockton.

"Since you've never asked me about my deployments, are you just not curious or would you rather not know?" Rick asked.

"I'm definitely curious, but after talking with the guys I've met and know from my MMA / soldier support group, I know it's harder to talk about for some and I don't want you to bring up memories you'd rather forget, so I've always felt if you wanted to share something about it, you'd tell me. That's what we've done in the past, never figured it'd be any different," Drew replied, "is there something you want to tell me? I'll listen to anything you want to share, but I never wanted to push you for information."

Rick nodded, "right now I don't want to talk about it, but I just wanted to know if you even wanted to know. Some I can't share because it's classified, but what I can, I want to tell you, but I didn't want to if you didn't want to know," he explained, "my flashback earlier made me think about it or I would have brought it up sooner."

Drew changed lanes so he could take the exit to the gas station he always used and then glanced at Rick, nodding in understanding, "I'm all ears whenever you're ready."

Shifting in his seat, Rick took a deep breath and glanced out the window, "okay. You'll be the first to know."

~*~

Filling up with gas and getting some refreshments, Drew and Rick were back on the road, but this time, they turned off I-10 and onto US-285 North, the way Drew always took to drive home to New Mexico. "So in about three hours we'll be there," Drew explained.

"Sounds good," Rick replied, "we're going right to Andi's? Or did you have other plans?"

"I figured we'd go to her place for the night and I'd overwhelm you with the town tomorrow," he explained.

Rick laughed lightly, "how come you never say the town's name?"

"Would you?" Drew wondered, glancing at him, "would you advertise you grew up in a place most known for aliens?"

"I'm sure there's a lot more to Roswell, New Mexico than just aliens. It gave me you," Rick smiled, looking at him, "even though I do check for green skin and glowing eyes once and a while," he winked, breaking out in a laugh, "oh my God! I've been waiting years to say that!"

As much as Drew wanted to glare at his fiancé and stay serious, he couldn't help the blush on his cheeks as he began to laugh lightly, "apparently I passed inspection?"

"You have in Texas and Washington, but both are far from Roswell, so when we get there, I'll have to check again to make sure. Things could be different when you're closer to home," Rick grinned, eyeing his fiancé to see how he'd react.

Drew laughed again and reached over, resting his hand on Rick's shoulder, "how do you know that all aliens have green skin or glowing eyes? Couldn't they look human and blend into the rest of the population?"

"They very well could," Rick agreed, "I'd imagine, since the crash happened in 1947, they could have adapted over the years to be able to take on a human form to walk among us. Is there something you'd like to share with me?"

"Yes, Rick, there is," Drew replied, keeping his eyes on the road, and trying to remain serious without cracking a smile, "Andi and I, we weren't born in 1988. We hatched from incubation pods in 1988, 41 years after our family's spaceship crash landed in the desert outside of Roswell, New Mexico," he explained, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

Rick eyed him in disbelief, totally shocked at how serious he was being; a total stranger would believe what he'd just said, but Rick could tell by the twinkle in his eye that he was joking around, "I definitely will have to do a thorough inspection when we get to town," he grinned, winking at him.

"I love you," Drew smiled, and when he saw Rick's devious grin, he burst out laughing, "sorry, I couldn't hold it anymore."

As Rick joined his laughter, he nodded, "love you, too," he replied, "and I never teased you because I didn't want to piss you off, but I'm glad you're comfortable to joke about aliens."

Drew blushed and ducked his head briefly, turning back to the road ahead of him, "if it was coming from anyone else, I'd probably roll my eyes and try to change the subject, but with you, I don't mind talking or joking about it. It's been a long time since I've been able to joke like this, too."

Rick took Drew's hand in his and squeezed it gently, "the couple who can joke together, stays together, right?"

"Oh yeah, that is so true," Drew nodded and laced their fingers together, not wanting to let go of him just yet, "I love that I can be who I want to be with you. I don't have to hide or pretend."

"I only want you to be who you want to be. That's the Andrew Michael Alister I fell in love with and all joking aside, you grew up in Roswell and became the man you are today by living there for most of your life," Rick explained, "so for that, I already love the town, even though I've never been there before and I'm glad you're finally ready to share that part of your life with me."

Drew smiled and lifted their joined hands to kiss his hand gently, "and I'm happy to finally share it with you. I'm sorry it took me so long."

"Don't be," Rick shook his head, "you had to be ready and now you are. It's another step we're taking in our lives together."

~*~

They finally crossed over the state-line and once they were through Carlsbad, New Mexico on US-285 North, Drew rubbed his neck and adjusted his back a little, "you wanna take over for a while?" He asked softly.

Rick raised a curious eyebrow at him, "take over what?"

"Driving," Drew replied, "and no, I didn't forget what happened. It's an automatic transmission and I've been using cruise control, so you should be fine to drive for a while. I could use a break. My back's a little sore."

"Uh," Rick thought for a moment. He was tired of being the passenger, but he just wasn't sure it was a good idea, "um, I guess I can use my left foot, but are you sure it's a good idea?"

Drew nodded, "I think you can do this," he admitted honestly, smiling at him, "you don't have to if you don't want to, but I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you up for this."

Taking a deep breath, Rick let his thoughts settle and nodded, "okay. I'm in."

"Okay," Drew returned his nod and signaled to pull over to the shoulder of the road, "now that we're through Carlsbad, all you do is follow this road and it'll take you right into Roswell. I can direct you from there, if you are still driving when we get to town," Drew explained, "you sure you're up for this?"

"Yes, I'm ready," Rick smiled, "I'll crawl over when you get out."

At his words, Drew checked to make sure it was clear and climbed out of the Jeep, shutting the door and jogged around to the passenger side as his fiancé crawled into the driver's seat. Once he was settled, Drew got in and hooked his seatbelt, "you good?"

Rick took a deep breath and exhaled to calm himself, "I think so," he replied, buckling himself in and looking to see where all the controls were, since he hadn't paid too much attention to everything a driver would need, since he'd always been a passenger, "you sure about this?"

"Yes, I am," Drew nodded, reaching out to rest his hand on Rick's hand on the gearshift, "if you do get uncomfortable, you can always pull over, but I think you'll do just fine."

Glancing to make sure it was clear, Rick put the signal on and shifted the car into 'drive', slowly putting his left foot on the gas pedal and moving off the shoulder and onto the main road. Growing up in the Seattle area, gave him a different perspective about driving. With so many hills in towns, it wasn't uncommon for him to use both feet while driving an automatic transmission, sometimes needing the break on, while accelerating to keep the vehicle from sliding backward down a hill.

It was different driving now, but with a little adjustment, Rick quickly fell into a comfortable spot and brought the car up to the speed limit and put it into cruise, keeping the speed the same, and leaving his foot near the break in case he had to stop, "okay, I guess this answers my question from a few weeks ago about driving again."

"I think it does," Drew agreed, settling into the seat.

"Your back okay?" Rick wondered.

"Yeah, I was just getting stiff. It's one of the drawbacks to a long drive. Sometimes I stop to stretch, but I didn't think of it today," he admitted.

"I did, but I figured you would stop if you needed to, so I didn't bring it up," Rick replied, shrugging, "we're almost there, right?"

"About an hour away now," Drew nodded, "so yeah."

"Cool. I'll give you a back massage when we get there," Rick winked.

Drew groaned a little at the thought and smiled, "that sounds really good right now."

Rick returned Drew's smile and continued to drive, "you deserve it. Are you glad you've got some time off from the hospital?"

"Yeah, kinda. I mean," Drew took a deep breath and sighed, "I love being a doctor, I love helping people and I didn't want to take time off, but I needed a break. I just hope this doesn't affect me getting some of the holidays off this year. I lucked out and didn't have to work last year and I hope it works out the same this year. I really want to spend them with you and our families."

"I do, too, and," Rick glanced at Drew as he spoke, "if you can't get time off this holiday season, we'll still celebrate it together. I know my family wants us to come to Washington sometime to see them and I'm sure your family will want us back, but this is the first year we're out to the world. I don't know how you feel, but you're my family and if you have to work, I'm not going anywhere without you. We've already missed too many holidays while I was deployed, so I don't want to miss this year. I know once you go active duty, there's a chance you could be deployed over the holiday season, so I want to spend as many holidays together as we can."

Drew smiled, "I think that sounds perfect. I know we've done a few holidays in Washington together and then been apart for a few, because we were at home with our families individually, on top of the ones you were deployed for. I like the idea of spending as many holidays together as we can," Drew reached over and took Rick's hand in his, "because you are my family. We've been family for a long time."

Rick smiled at him and nodded, "we definitely have been."

~*~

Continuing their drive, Drew and Rick talked and enjoyed each other's company as they got closer to Roswell, Drew's hometown. As the signs on the road counted down the distance, and the large flashy billboards began to display advertisements for businesses and things to do in Roswell, many with green cartoon aliens as part of the ad, Rick pulled over and the guys switched drivers again, since Drew knew his way around town and because Rick was too uncomfortable driving in town; it had been his first time driving since he'd lost his leg and he wanted some more practice behind the wheel before he even attempted going into a town to drive.

"You want to go right to Andi's or grab something for dinner first?" Drew asked, "I'm open to either."

"Why don't we find out if she's off work and wants to go to dinner," Rick suggested, "I can text her and find out."

"That works," Drew agreed, "we're gonna be there in about fifteen minutes."

Rick nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket and sent Andi a quick text message, hoping she'd be able to respond soon.

**Rick:** Hey, Andi! Drew and I are about 15 minutes from town. Want to join us for dinner?  
 **Andi Alister:** Awesome! Yes, I'd love to! Can you guys pick me up at the station? Drew knows where it is. I walk to work because I don't live too far from here.

Surprised with such a quick answer, Rick relayed the message to his fiancé, "yeah that's fine. Tell her to meet us out front in a few minutes," Drew replied.

Quickly Rick replied to Andi and then looked around, taking in the surroundings. It was looking more and more like they were coming into town. Businesses and homes began to grow closer together as they continued and traffic thickened as they got more into populated areas.

After a few moments of passing through some of the outskirts of Roswell, Drew reached over and took Rick's hand in his, laced their fingers together and smiled at him as they passed the 'Welcome to Roswell, NM' sign, "welcome to Roswell, babe."

Rick smiled at Drew and squeezed his hand happily, "thank you. I'm glad to be here."

"Right now we're still on US-285, but in town it's also 'Main Street," Drew explained, motioning out to the road as they parted hands, "and RPD is easy to find. It's the first left after the 'International UFO Museum and Research Center'."

The moment Drew said that, Rick burst out laughing, "are you kidding me? There is such a thing? I thought that was just in the movies!"

"Nope," Drew shook his head and grinned, "it's real. You never looked up Roswell?"

"No. I thought I'd experience it for the first time with you," Rick replied, "then I can get a real Roswellian's perspective and not just what a website says," he replied as they passed the UFO Museum he had mentioned, "oh my God. It's real!"

"It is," Drew nodded and laughed lightly as he turned and headed down the street, pulling into the public parking lot of the police department and saw his sister walking outside, dressed in jeans and a blue polo shirt, her gun attached to her hip and badge attached to her waist band. Coming to a stop in front of the building, Drew rolled down his window as she walked towards the SUV, "hey, sis!"

"Hey back! So glad you guys are here!" She grinned, reaching for the back door and climbing into the backseat, "welcome to Roswell, Rick."

"Thanks," Rick smiled, turning to nod at her, "glad to finally be here."

"I bet! Only took someone what? Five years of your relationship to get you guys up here together? That's gotta be a record for the time it takes to meet the family," she teased, "but that's in the past. You're here now," she added, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her brother's cheek and then Rick's, "how was the trip up?"

"It was relaxing," Rick replied, "and I drove some of it."

"Awesome!" Andi grinned, "your leg doing okay?"

"Yeah, sounds like the next visit in a few weeks they're gonna take a mold of my leg, so they can start making it," Rick replied.

"That's great news!" Andi smiled, settling into her seat, "you'll be walking in no time!"

"That's my hope," Rick agreed.

Drew smiled at them, so glad she was so supportive of their relationship. "I'm glad you two get along so well," Drew commented, glancing at them, "I don't know what I'd do if you didn't support us."

"Well, you never have to worry about that, because we do get along. Rick's my brother, too," Andi replied.

Rick smiled at that, "and I have another sister; we're definitely all family."

~*~

Leaving the police station, the three talked briefly about where they'd like to have dinner and settled on a casual place not too far away. It was a little after the usual 'dinner' time for many, so it wasn't hard to get a table right away and soon the three were sitting down. Andi sat across from Drew, Rick sitting beside his fiancé.

"So, how big is Roswell, population wise?" Rick wondered as they began to look over the menu, ordering drinks from their server.

"Just under fifty-thousand," Andi replied, "it's grown a lot since we grew up here," she motioned to Drew.

"A lot has changed, but some has stayed the same," Drew added.

Rick nodded in understanding, "that's the same with where I grew up in Seattle. From what little I've seen so far, looks like a nice place," he admitted.

"It has it's ups and downs. All towns do, but I like it here," Andi replied.

"I do, too," Drew smirked, "but I needed to get out for a while. I'd love to visit a few times a year, but I don't think I could ever live here full time again."

"Many feel that way. I'm surprised Liz and Maria stuck around. I really thought they'd leave, well, I didn't expect Maria to come back after she went to school in Albuquerque," Andi replied, "you, I knew would leave, because I knew you were joining the Army, but it's nice to have you home once and a while," she added, smiling at him.

"I promise I'll come home to visit," he assured her, turning to look at Rick briefly and rested his hand on Rick's knee, "we'll come visit."

Rick nodded in agreement and was surprised to feel Drew's hand on his knee. He hadn't expected Drew to share any physical contact that might draw attention to them, but he welcomed the touch and patted his hand briefly, before continuing to flip through the menu.

Moments later their server appeared with their drinks and took their meal orders, before taking back the menus and going to put their orders in.

"Have you let mom know you guys are here?" Andi asked.

"Not yet," Drew replied, "probably should. You should probably let your family know, too," Drew added, glancing at Rick.

Rick laughed lightly, "I already did. Told Gabby and she was gonna pass it around."

Drew pulled his phone from his pocket, sending Wendy a quick text message to let her know they were there and with Andi at dinner.

"Um, so... I saw someone today," Andi commented, biting her lip.

"By _someone_ who do you mean?" Drew asked, eyeing her skeptically.

Taking a deep breath, "Monica Ortiz," she replied.

"Oh," Drew nodded, putting his phone away and gathering his thoughts.

"She asked about you," she said softly.

"I'm sure she would," Drew looked at his fiancé, "Monica was the last girlfriend I had in high school; we broke up just before I went to Basic."

"The one who had your lives all planned out?" Rick wondered, remembering a few conversations he and Drew had when they'd first met about past relationships, "didn't she figure you guys would get married and she'd follow you around the world while you were in the Army?"

Drew nodded at him, "yeah. I didn't know if you'd remember."

"You never said her name, but you did say she was the last girlfriend you had in high school," Rick explained, shrugging.

"You're not mad?" Drew bit his lip nervously.

Rick laughed lightly, "mad about something that happened over seven years ago, before we'd even met? No, I'm not mad."

"But Drew might be," Andi replied, and when Drew and Rick turned their attention to her, she sighed, "she asked about you. Wondered if you were still in the Army. I told her you were in the reserves and working on being a doctor."

"What did she do? Did she start planning again and figure we'd get back together?" Drew sighed.

"She did, so I shut her up when I told her you were engaged and bringing your fiancé home to meet the family, so it was serious. I didn't say anymore, but don't be surprised if she tries to add you as a friend on Facebook or send you a message," Andi warned.

"Oh wonderful," he sighed and sipped on his soda, "there's a reason I'm not friends with her on Facebook. Speaking of Facebook," he looked at Rick, "we should change our profiles."

Rick raised a curious eyebrow at him, "to what?" He asked, but as he did, he quickly realized what Drew was meaning, "oh, we could, but I suggest we wait until after you tell your family."

"Okay," Drew nodded, "just know I'm ready."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rick smiled, taking a drink of his lemonade, "I am, too."

Drew smiled at him and looked at his sister, "so where did you see her?"

"Where Max and I went for lunch today," she replied, "he says 'hi', by the way. He was gonna be here when you got here, but I told him he could see you tomorrow at dinner. I didn't want you bombarded by family the minute you guys got into town."

"Thanks," Drew smiled, "is mom going all out for dinner tomorrow?"

Andi laughed, "yeah, she is. It's summer, so she's gonna barbecue. Dad got home a few hours ago and she's already got him getting the grill ready."

Drew was silent for a moment, the mention of their dad, bringing him back to the reality of why he and Rick had come up in the first place, "well, I wasn't nervous for five minutes."

"Everything is going to be fine," Andi replied, reaching over to rest her hand on her brother's, "just relax."

"I'm trying," Drew replied, "I just wish I could be as positive as you two."

Rick rested his hand on Drew's shoulder and rubbed in gently, "we got your back. No matter what."

Drew smiled at Rick and nodded, "I know. Thank you. I should be able to do this on my own, but I'm glad I've got you guys to be there for me."

~*~

Drew, Rick and Andi chatted lightly and continued once they got their dinner, even joking around like old friends. They were all comfortable being around each other and enjoyed the time to just 'hang out'.

When their server came over to get their plates, she offered dessert and though normally they'd skip it, for something different they decided to each order something. As the server went to order their desserts, Andi groaned and sunk down in her seat.

"What's wrong with you?" Drew asked, noticing her quick mood change.

"You're probably gonna be pissed here in a few minutes," she replied, "I'm so sorry."

Drew raised a curious eyebrow at her and casually turned to glance around the room they were in. A few of the tables were full, some empty with dirty dishes an employee was collecting and further towards the exit of the room, Drew saw three women sitting down at a table. Immediately, he turned back to his fiancé and sister and groaned himself, "damn it," he hissed, glaring at his sister, "did you tell her we were coming here?"

"Hell no!" Andi shook her head, "why would I do that? I'd like to enjoy my meal. Besides, I didn't even know we were going to dinner. I figured you guys would end up at my place, I'd come home and then we'd order pizza," she assured him.

"What are you talking about?" Rick asked.

"Monica and two other high school classmates just sat down at a table over there," Drew nodded his head towards them.

"Ah, I see," Rick nodded, shrugging, "it's not surprising you'd run into people you knew in your hometown. It's Friday night. Not everyone works the night shift," Rick winked at him.

"I know, but, I just... She's the last person I ever wanted to see," Drew sighed.

Rick rested his hand on Drew's shoulder, "well, you wanna keep her away?" He asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Drew asked and when he turned to look at Rick he figured it out and smiled, leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his lips, "I didn't just do that because of her. I'm proud of our relationship."

"I never doubted that. I've just been letting you take things the pace you wanted. You know Roswell better than I do," Rick replied.

"That didn't work," Andi muttered, shifting to sit up a little.

"Oh my God, Andi! Twice in one day, this has to be a record," Monica's peppy voice exclaimed. Drew quickly realized she hadn't changed one bit and he couldn't figure out how or why he was ever interested in her at all. She was definitely not his type, in many ways.

"Yeah, it does," Andi agreed, nodding at her, "nice to see you again," she said politely.

Monica turned her eyes on Drew, "and Drew! I'm so glad to see you! It's been way too long! I hear you're becoming a doctor," she commented, sing-songing with excitement

"Nice to see you," Drew nodded, "yeah, I am. I'm a second-year resident," he replied, deciding not to mention where he was; he didn't really trust her.

"But you're still in the Army?" She wondered.

Drew nodded, "I am. Well, I'm in the reserves right now, but once I'm done with residency, I'll go active duty again."

"Oh that's awesome!" She smiled, "and who is this?" She glanced at Rick.

Without hesitation, Drew smiled, "this is my fiancé, Rick. Rick, this is Monica."

"Fiancé? Oh wow! Um, hi! Nice to meet you," she admitted, nodding at Rick as she stumbled over her words, "I... I had no idea..." 

"Likewise," Rick replied, returning her nod and could tell she was caught off guard, but he was used to that, "our personal life isn't something we've shared with many until recently," he added.

"I see. I admit, I'm totally shocked," she looked at Drew, "I had no idea, but I'm glad you seem happy. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Drew smiled, "been the best years of my life. Couldn't ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with."

Andi noticed the look on Monica's face and held back a laugh, " _I knew it! She was hoping to get back to with Drew! She just realized it's definitely not gonna happen,_ " she thought, sipping her water, "they're amazing together," Andi added, deciding to remain civil to her and Drew's former classmate.

Thankfully their conversation was interrupted when their server brought over their desserts, "well, I'll let you guys finish eating. Nice meeting you, Rick. Nice to see you two again, Drew, Andi," Monica nodded, smiling.

"You, too," Drew waved as she walked away and smirked at his sister, "you catch what I did?"

"If you mean she totally realized she's got no chance of getting back with you, then yeah, I caught it," Andi nodded.

"I saw it, too," Rick replied, resting his arm on Drew's shoulder, "and I agree with you. You're the only one I can imagine spending the rest of my life with."

Drew smiled at Rick and leaned in slightly to press another kiss to his lips, "good to know we're on the same page."

"Babe, we've been in the same book for years," Rick winked.

"We have been," Drew agreed, "and I'm looking forward to writing the rest of our story together."

~*~

Finishing up with dessert and light conversation, their server brought over their check and as Andi went to reach for it, Drew grabbed it, "I got it, sis."

"You sure?" Andi raised a curious eyebrow, "I don't mind."

"Yes, he's sure. It's the least we could do after you, Gabby and our moms spent all that money on everything while you were visiting," Rick explained.

Andi giggled, "alright," she looked at them, "already answering for each other, I see."

"Kinda," Drew smiled, taking his wallet out and slipping a card into the folder and set it back on the edge of the table for their server, "we already agreed on that. You guys, okay, well I know you were only there for a few days and mom, Gabby and Terry were there a lot longer, but we wanted to pay back some of that, because you all didn't have to pay for it all. We could have covered something."

"And I have fourteen months of paychecks sitting in my bank account, minus a few things I had to pay each month," Rick added, "there's not a lot to spend money on during a deployment like that."

"I can't imagine being over there. There's a few guys in the department who served for a while. One was a Marine and another was Army, both joined RPD after they finished their enlistment. They're from around here and they talk about things they saw and did over there and it definitely makes me appreciate the life I have and am thankful to you guys who serve," Andi told them, "I couldn't do it, so, I don't think I said this while I was down there, but thank you."

Rick smiled at her, "you're welcome," he replied, as their server got the bill folder and went to get a receipt, "I'm happy to serve. Not sure what the future holds for me, but I know I've made a difference in the time I was in."

"Speaking of future, have you two set a date?" Andi asked, "you know mom's gonna ask."

The guys laughed lightly as their server returned and set the folder back on the table with a pen and the copy Drew had to sign, and he quickly did, adding a nice tip and then pocketed his card and the extra receipt, "we haven't even figured out where we're going to have it, so no, we haven't figured out a date," Drew explained.

"Our anniversary is gonna be a Sunday next year. Maybe we could think about doing it then," Rick commented softly, looking at Drew, "I've been meaning to mention that."

Drew returned his gaze and thought about his suggestion, "that sounds perfect," he replied, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his lips, "it's a date."

Rick smiled, "really? You wanna go with that?"

"Really," Drew nodded, "I love that idea," he assured him as Rick got his crutches and the three stood up to get ready to leave.

Andi moved first, and Rick followed her down the aisle to the front of the restaurant and Drew followed behind them, hoping his ex didn't stop them on the way past her table, but just as the three began to pass her, Monica gasped, "oh my, God! Rick, what happened?!"

Rick paused and glanced at his fiancé, before returning his gaze to her, "lost my leg in a bus accident just after I got home from deployment."

"I'm so sorry!" She said standing up, "you're in the Army, too?"

"I am," Rick nodded, "and in a few months I'll be back walking around, so the crutches are just temporary."

"Good luck," she smiled.

"Thanks," Rick nodded at her and followed after Andi, leaving Drew standing there for a moment.

"Drew, I... I can't... This is a lot to take in," she admitted.

"Yeah, I know. It was a shock to me, too," he glanced at Rick, "and it was worse, because he came into my ER and I couldn't save his leg," he explained, knowing she wasn't talking about that, but went with it for the moment.

"Oh, yeah, um, that, too, but I meant..."

"Me being gay? I've known since high school, just chose to pretend I wasn't, but I got tired of hiding and Rick came into my life at the right time," Drew told her.

Monica nodded, "so you knew when we dated? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't telling _anyone_ back then. Hell, my mom and Andi didn't figure it out until a few years ago," Drew told her, "so I never would have said anything."

"Okay, but... this is all a shock, but now a lot of things I wondered back then are so much clearer," she admitted, "do you... Could we talk about this sometime?"

Drew took a deep breath and nodded, "yeah, I guess, sometime. I'm on Facebook. Don't use it much, but if you message me there, I'll see it."

The woman nodded, "well, it was good seeing you again. You look good and I'm glad to see you happy. I mean that," she smiled at him.

"Thank you," Drew smiled, "and it was nice to see you again," he glanced at the other two familiar faces, other classmates, but ones he didn't know as well, "and you two, also. See you all around," he said, before following the path Rick and Andi had taken and moved out of the restaurant to find the two leaning against his SUV in the parking lot, "thanks a lot, you two," he muttered, unlocking the doors.

"What? You had to talk to her without us around at some point," Rick commented as they climbed inside.

Drew sighed, "yeah, but now I feel horrible."

"Of course you do. Once you figured out you were gay in high school, but continued to have girlfriends, you realized you were using them to hide your secret," Rick explained, having not realized he was gay until college, but then when he did, he thought back and wondered if he always knew, but used the girls to hide because he wasn't ready to come out back then, so he understood what Drew was thinking.

"That's not helping," Drew replied quietly as he started the engine and backed out of the space.

"Sorry, babe, but I get it. I had a similar thought process to deal with when I first realized I was gay," he paused, reaching over to rest his hand on Drew's shoulder, squeezing it gently, "but this might help. You were a different guy back then. Now you're not as scared of being gay, and it's not going to affect your career like it would have a few years ago. Sure, you feel bad because you know you used the girls you dated, but you can't change your past," he told him as Drew drove through the streets of Roswell, "everything you did made you who you are today. At the time, you were scared, nervous and probably confused, so you tried to pretend you were someone else by dating girls. Now you're finally able to do what _you_ want and aren't letting peer pressure drive who or what you want to be," Rick explained, taking a deep breath, "I know deep down in your heart, you never would have done that to them if there wasn't as much negativity in the world towards people being gay. There is a lot more acceptance now than there was even seven years ago, so you need to let those exes know if you ever do talk to them that you're sorry for what you did, but back then, you did what you had to do to keep from being outed. You also need to show them that you've changed; and I can say from personal experience that you have. I met you just after you graduated high school, when you had recently broken up with Monica and was probably just trying to deal with joining the Army and hiding your sexual preference any way you could and I've seen you grow into a strong, confident, lovable, caring, friendly, trustworthy, responsible, and sometimes stubborn guy who knows who he is and who he wants to spend his life with. That's the Drew your exes need to see, and if they still are upset about the past, that's their own damn fault, because you can't change what you did and you need to focus on your present and your future and not worry about the 'what ifs' of your past," Rick finished, looking at him and deciding it was Drew's weekend and not the time to bring up his own past to explain exactly how he understood; he hoped Drew would get it from what he'd already said.

By the time Rick was done speaking, Drew was already parked in Andi's driveway and the two siblings were waiting to hear what Rick had to say before they got out. Drew soaked in what Rick was saying and realized he was exactly right; he 'hit the nail on the head' so to speak and was thankful to have Rick understand what he was dealing with. Leaning over, Drew wrapped his arms around his fiancé and pressed a kiss to his lips, not caring that his sister was sitting nearby, "I love you."

Rick was caught off guard by his fiancé, but happily returned the affection and smiled, "love you, too."

"I never imagined someone could get me like you do. I know you've dealt with stuff in the past like this and I'm so glad I have you here for support. You're helping make this a lot easier on me than it would have been if I had done this without you. Thank you and I wish I could have been there for you when you came out," Drew told him honestly.

"I wish you had been there, too," Rick agreed, reaching up to rest his hand on Drew's cheek, "but since we can't change the past, I'm glad I can at least be here for you."

Andi listened to the guys talk; she didn't want to interrupt and felt like she was intruding, but being in the car, she couldn't help hearing. What she did hear, made her extremely happy. She was so glad her brother and Rick had found the other; she could tell without a doubt that they were meant for each other. "You guys are gonna make me cry," she admitted, leaning forward to look at them.

The two guys turned to look at her and smiled, "sorry, sis, but it's an emotional weekend and I'm really glad he's here with me," Drew commented.

"You don't have to apologize. I'm glad you're here, too," Andi replied, looking at Rick, "and I am so glad you're in my brother's life. I couldn't ask for a more perfect partner for him. Just promise me you'll take care of him."

Rick smiled at her and shared a look with his fiancé, before looking back to his fiancé's twin, "I promise I'll do my best to take care of him and love him with all of my heart for the rest of our lives."

"Good," Andi grinned, "I'll hold you to that, Lincoln," she winked, before moving to the door and opening it, "now come on. No need to sit outside all night."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N5: This chapter and Drew's hometown is a nod to the show Brendan Fehr (Drew) was in that started 18 years ago, Roswell. I've been a Roswellian since day 1 and when I began sorting out their past for this story, I knew right where Drew would be from. I've been a fan, follower and supporter of Brendan Fehr's for 18 years and he was the reason I came for Night Shift, but the whole cast was the reason I stayed... And I absolutely love Drew and Rick! OTP for life!!!
> 
> A/N6: Yesterday (Friday, October 13, 2017), was an up and down emotional day. It started the night before when news surfaces that CW is 'rebooting' Roswell, but using a different set of characters and storyline, so it's not really a reboot... Long story... So bummed about that. Now we're all on a mission to get Netflix or Hulu to pick up Baron and Toluca, the series Brendan is working on with his Roswell costar Majandra, which is a nod to Roswell. Thus far we haven't heard anything, but we're trying! I also scheduled tweets to post while I was at work and on my breaks tweeted during the re-watch of a Roswell episode with the major fan site Crashdown; that was fun and I enjoyed it... Just when I put things down, on a happy note, I go grocery shopping, I get what I need and come out to the car and go to Facebook to see Brendan has posted a photo and a description that ended with 'RIP Night Shift' so I hopped on Twitter (in the parking lot of the store) and spent the next hour crying and tweeting with fellow Night Shift fans about how sad we are to hear that it was canceled (and on Friday the 13th! What a crappy day for this news!).


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drew and Rick have a few much-needed discussions and Drew gets a chance to talk to Rick's dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning1:** This story involves a character with a leg amputation.  
>  **Warning2:** This story is male/male fiction. Don't read if you don't like!  
>  Disclaimer: I don't own The Night Shift, so I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Hope you all enjoy! I didn't realize it was October since my last update; please forgive me!
> 
> ~*~

~*~

Climbing out of the SUV, Rick settled on his crutches, while Drew grabbed their bags from the back and Andi and Rick headed inside. Once Drew joined them, he took their bags to his usual room, while Andi was giving Rick a quick tour of her three-bedroom two-bathroom rambler, before the two sat down in the living room with Drew.

"You have a really nice place, Andi. Are you renting or buying it?" Rick wondered curiously.

"I'm buying it," she admitted, "not sure if it's my permanent home, but I love it."

"I just can't believe you bought a place so close to the police station; I mean, sure it's great to walk to work, but everyone can stop by and it makes it hard to call in sick," Drew replied.

Andi laughed, "yeah, there is that, but having our brother-in-law as my partner makes it hard, too," she added.

"So, Max your partner, is really your brother-in-law? I thought when you said 'brother' that you just meant, like he's your brother because you work so close together in a high-stress job."

"Well, he is, but legally, he's our sister Elizabeth's husband. She goes by Liz or Lizzy. Don't call her Beth or Betsy or she'll smack you," Andi grinned.

"I sometimes call her that just to annoy her," Drew laughed.

"You would," Rick smirked, "but let's not do that this weekend. I'd like as little tension with your family as possible."

"Yes, sir," Drew replied, giving him a playful salute.

Andi and Rick laughed lightly, and he turned to his fiancé, "did you know I'll probably always out rank you, if I stay in the Army?" Rick wondered curiously, winking at him.

"The thought crossed my mind a few times," Drew agreed, "so what? You're a few years older; it's expected." Feeling comfortable around his sister to be a little playful with his fiancé, he leaned forward and winked at him, "and I don't mind. You're kinda hot in your uniform," he admitted with a grin.

"Only kinda?" Rick replied, raising a playful eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, it's a tie with seeing you naked," Drew paused, grinning, "seeing you smile, and a few other things."

Rick ducked his head as his cheeks flushed, and then turned to look at Drew with a smile on his face.

"Just like that," Drew reached out and rested his hand on Rick's cheek, brushing it gently, "your smile always gets me."

Before any of them could say more, Andi's phone rang, "sorry!" She jumped and dug it out of her pocket and looked at it. "It's mom," she smirked as she accepted the call, "hey, mom."

"Hey, sweetheart. Sorry to bother you. I know your brother is there, but can I use your fridge?" Wendy asked.

"You want to use my fridge? Why?" Andi wondered curiously.

"With everything I've made and the things we'll need for tomorrow, I don't have room to refrigerate all the cookie dough I just made, because I want to cook them tomorrow, so I thought you guys could bring them over when you come," she admitted.

"Oh, sure," Andi shrugged, "that's fine. I'm sure this is your way of checking on Drew and Rick, too," she added with a laugh.

"No, I wasn't planning this. I just never imagined the fridge would be this full, but it's like the holiday season," Wendy replied, "though I would love to see them, and I promise I won't stay long."

"You know you're always welcome, mom. Just come over. We just got back from dinner," Andi told her, "see you in a bit."

"Okay, I'll be over shortly. Thank you, sweetie," the woman hung up.

Andi slid her phone back into her pocket and smiled at the guys, "mom's gonna bring some stuff over to store for the night."

"She's coming over to check on us, too, huh?" Drew laughed lightly, already knowing the answer to his question.

"Probably," Andi laughed with her brother, but then calmed, "but she loves you guys and wants to see you."

"My mom probably wants her to make sure I'm okay from the trip, too," Rick added with a shrug, "honestly. It's okay. I'm so thankful we have the support of our moms. I don't want to imagine what it'd be like if we didn't have that and the support of the rest of our families who already know; we're super lucky."

Drew nodded in agreement, "yeah, we are."

~*~

It only took a short time after Wendy's call for the older Alister woman to arrive at her daughter's house and Drew went outside to greet her and help her carry in what she'd brought over.

"Hey, sweetheart!" Wendy grinned, climbing out of her car and hugging her son, "the trip was okay?"

"Hey, mom," Drew smiled, returning her hug and giving her a kiss, "yeah, the trip was great. Rick even drove for part of it."

"Really?" She opened the back door of the car and Drew reached for the containers sitting on the seat, "he did okay?"

"He did great!" Drew replied happily, stepping back with everything in his arms and she closed the door, "I'm proud of him."

"That's a great start! And you guys are good?" She asked, following him to the front door.

"Of course we are, mom. Why wouldn't we be?" Drew asked, moving inside and heading for the kitchen.

"I don't mean it _that_ way, I just mean you guys are alright? Not having any problems with scheduling conflicts?" She replied, pausing when she saw Rick standing by the couch on one crutch, "hey, Rick!" She smiled, moving to give him a hug.

"Hey, Wendy," he replied, returning her hug, "Drew and I are great, and things are going well. My mom and sister just left, so we haven't really been on our own yet, but I can assure you we'll be okay," Rick added, smiling at her as she pulled back.

Wendy nodded, "good. I'm just checking," she replied, rubbing his arm, "I'm so glad you guys are here. What do you think of Roswell so far?"

"Seems like a great place, though I've only seen the streets, the outside of the police station and one restaurant," Rick smirked.

"Well, Drew better show you around some more! You'll love it once you have a chance to really see it," she explained.

"I'm sure I will," Rick agreed, glancing at his fiancé who was returning from the kitchen with Andi.

"How come you guys are only staying for a few days? I thought you had a week off," Wendy commented to her son as she kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Not a full week. We're gonna be here a few days, not counting the day traveling here or going back. It's the only time I'm gonna have off until the holidays, so when we get home, since for the last month we've had visitors, we're gonna spend some time together," Drew told her honestly, "we totally appreciate that you, Terry, Gabby and even Andi came down, and since I was still working, you all were giving us some space when we could get alone time, but we still didn't get as much one-on-one time as we would have liked, so we're gonna use the extra time I have off for that."

"That's understandable," Wendy agreed, smiling at the guys and as Drew came to stand next to Rick, she reached out and put a hand on each of their cheeks, "I do know what it's like to be apart from the person you love for so long. Your dad was gone an awful lot with the Air Force."

The couple shared a look and Rick reached up and rested his hand on hers, "and on behalf of all the men and women in the military, thank you for putting up with the separation. We all hope to find someone as supportive and willing to deal with it, but unfortunately not everyone is so lucky. And thank you for being such an inspiration to Drew. I think he had a great example to learn from, so he was able to handle my deployments easier than many other significant others were."

"When you find the one person you're meant to be with, you don't let anything stand in the way, including distance. We made it work, because we wanted it to and I can tell that you two are meant to be together. I appreciate that you think I'm an inspiration, but I think Drew got part from me and part from his love for you. You've made it work, because you both want to be together and were willing to fight to make sure it happened," she explained, "your love is stronger than distance."

Drew put his arm around his fiancé and nodded in agreement as he pressed a kiss to Rick's cheek, "she's exactly right."

Rick smiled and leaned into his fiancé and turned to look at him, "yeah, she is. My love for you kept me going while I was gone and I'm thankful I always had you to come home to. Same goes for you when you get deployed, too," Rick assured him, slipping his free arm around his shoulders.

Turning a little, Drew wrapped his other arm around his fiancé and held him close for a moment, "I know. I love you."

"Love you, too," Rick replied as they pulled apart.

Wendy smiled, "and with that, I'll leave you all and see you tomorrow. Dinner is at five. I've got your sisters and their families coming over by two or three. Join us whenever, but I'd like that cookie dough earlier," she replied, motioning to Andi's fridge.

"I'll be over earlier, and the guys can come over whenever they're ready," Andi said, "Drew might wanna go show Rick around a little."

"Sounds like a plan," Wendy nodded, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek, before she waved, "see you all tomorrow."

"See ya, mom," Drew replied, walking her to the front door and closing it once she was outside.

Giving the woman a few minutes to leave, and once hearing her car pull away, Andi looked at the guys, "okay, so I gave you the morning free, but once I go over there and our siblings show up with their families, I won't be able to stall too long," she told them, "so if you don't want to go over there when I do, figure something out. I'll stall as long as possible."

Drew thought for a moment and looked at Rick, "I'd like to show you around a little. Maybe we could go over there around three. Dad's gonna know something is up the moment we arrive, so it doesn't really matter when we arrive, but I'd rather not spend all day there."

Rick shrugged, "honestly, it's up to you. I'm open to however you want to do this."

"Okay," Drew nodded and took a deep breath, "I guess I'll see how I feel in the morning."

"Then that's what we'll do," Rick replied simply, truly open to 'go with the flow'.

Andi nodded in understanding, "sounds good to me. I've been up since five-am, so I'm going to bed. You guys are welcome to stay up or do whatever, but I'm sure you've both had a long day with the trip up, so you'll probably go to bed soon, right?"

"Yeah, we will," Drew admitted, Rick nodding in agreement, "and I have keys to your place, so don't feel like you always have to be here or with us."

"I know," Andi smirked, "I gave you keys for that reason. I trust you guys," she assured them, moving to give each of them a hug, "night guys."

"Night, Andi. Thanks," Rick told her.

"No problem," Andi smiled at him, "you're family. It's what families do."

"It's appreciated still," Rick added.

"Night, sis," Drew pressed a kiss to her cheek, "see you in the morning."

Andi nodded at them and moved towards her bedroom, "see ya."

~*~

With Andi off to bed, the guys sat in the living room for a short time, but both were starting to feel the long day hitting them, so they went to get ready for bed and soon were laying down together in the guest room Drew always used when he visited.

Drew was laying on his back, Rick was on his side, with one arm draped over Drew's abdomen, "so are you ready for tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I guess. I just wish I knew how my dad will take it. I mean, by tomorrow, I might not have a dad," Drew responded softly, wanting to talk, but felt the need for sleep tugging at him.

"Oh, babe," Rick shifted to rest his hand on Drew's chest, "yes you will. He might not be thrilled, but he won't disown you."

Drew closed his eyes and nodded at Rick's words, trying to calm his worries, but they continued to bounce through his mind, "I just keep worrying about it."

"I know," Rick leaned in and pressed a kiss to Drew's cheek, "I wish I could ease your worries."

"It's easier because you're here, but I honestly don't think anyone could ease them right now," Drew replied, tugging the blankets up higher over them.

Rick kissed his lips gently, "I'm sorry, babe. Just know I'm here and I'll be here when you wake up, okay?"

Drew smiled and nodded, shifting and getting comfortable, "you have nothing to be sorry about. I know you're here and that means the world to me. Goodnight. I love you, babe."

"I love you, too," Rick smiled, "get some sleep," he added, watching Drew close his eyes and hoped he'd get a restful night's sleep. Rick remembered how hard it was to come out to his dad and he prayed Drew's dad supported him immediately and didn't give him the cold shoulder like his own dad and brother had. They had worked things out since and now his brother and dad were supportive of his choices and considered Drew a member of the Lincoln family, so he hoped Drew would get immediate support from his dad and the rest of his family, so Drew wouldn't have to go through what he had.

At the thought of his own dad, Rick had an idea and gently reached over and grabbed his cell phone. Seeing it was only around ten-pm in New Mexico, it was an hour earlier in Seattle, Rick pulled up his messages and found the right conversation and started a message.

**Rick:** Hey dad, you busy?

" _I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. Maybe if my dad talked to Drew, it might ease his mind. I don't know, but it's worth a try. At least Drew would know he'd still have one father figure in his life,_ " he thought, hoping his dad would respond soon.

A few minutes later, Rick's phone vibrated with a response from his dad.

**Dad (Alan Lincoln):** Hey son! I'm not busy right now. Just doing some paperwork between calls. On a 24-hour shift. What's up? Everything alright?  
 **Rick:** Kinda. You know Drew and I are in New Mexico, right?

Rick sent his message back and briefly wondered if he should get his dad involved, but out of everyone, he thought his dad might be able to ease Drew's mind, even if just a little bit.

**Dad (Alan Lincoln):** Yeah, I know. You told me and then your mom let me know you guys had made it safely. He's gonna come out to his family, right?  
 **Rick:** Yeah. His mom and two sisters know, but his dad, his brothers-in-law, other sister, and nieces and nephews don't yet. He's really nervous to tell his dad.

Sending his reply, Rick glanced at Drew, not surprised to see he'd already fallen asleep. He could tell that during the evening, Drew was running on nerves, adrenaline and caffeine, and knew as soon as he got comfortable and stopped moving, he'd be out and sure enough, he was.

**Dad (Alan Lincoln):** You want me to talk to him?  
 **Rick:** Do you think it would help? And not to bring up stuff we've gotten through, but I don't want him to go through what I did when you... um...

Rick sighed as he sent the message and hoped his dad would get what he was saying and not be hurt by bringing it up.

**Dad (Alan Lincoln):** When I gave you the cold shoulder? I have a few regrets in my life and one of them is turning my back on you. You're my son and always will be. Love you, kid.  
 **Dad (Alan Lincoln):** I can't say how Drew's dad will react, everyone's different, but I think right now he needs support from people who care about him.  
 **Dad (Alan Lincoln):** I do. He's one of my sons and I've got his back, so I'd be happy to talk to him.

Reading over his dad's messages, Rick smiled and brushed his thumb over the screen briefly, before typing his response.

**Rick:** I love you, too, dad. Thank you. It really means the world to me that you feel that way about Drew. I'm so glad you've accepted him as part of our family.  
 **Rick:** If you'd be willing to talk to him, I'd appreciate it. He knows I'm there for him and so is his mom, and his sister, but he's mostly afraid of the unknown.  
 **Rick:** I know you regret what happened between us, but you never say what else you regret. Should I be worried?

Rick didn't expect his dad to respond to the 'regret' question, but he couldn't help wondering what it was. This wasn't the first time he'd said something about regretting things in the past, but he didn't know and neither did his siblings.

**Dad (Alan Lincoln):** Let me know when Drew's available and I'll call to talk with him... Drew's been in your life for years and he makes you happy, so I'm proud to have him as another son.  
 **Dad (Alan Lincoln):** As for my other regrets, they happened way before you were born, so nothing you need to worry about.  
 **Dad (Alan Lincoln):** Just got a fire call, so have to head out. I'm off at 8am. Let me know when you guys are available.  
 **Rick:** Will do, dad. Be careful and love ya! Talk soon! Say hey to Justin for me!

With a smile, Rick returned his phone to the nightstand, plugged it back in to charge, and then turned to get comfortable with his fiancé again. He could feel his body begging for sleep and with Drew's even breathing, it was easy to relax and soon sleep came to him.

~*~

**Saturday, August 16, 2014**

Though sleep had come easily to Drew, it didn't last long. His time of working the night shift had his biological clock used to being awake when most people slept, so even though he was gonna sleep with his fiancé at night while off work, his body just wouldn't let him sleep many of those hours, so he found himself wide awake just a few hours after he'd fallen asleep. Briefly, as his eyes adjusted to the room, he had to figure out where he was, but the warmth draped over him reminded him he was with Rick, but the surroundings took an extra few moments to register that they were at his sister's place.

The clock told him it was just after one-am, and he sighed as he laid on his back for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. Rick had shifted to sleep on his stomach, but his arm was still draped over Drew's chest, and Drew really enjoyed that simple reminder that they were in the same place, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake in bed for long without tossing and turning and he didn't want to wake Rick, so he reluctantly and carefully slid away from the warmth and climbed out of bed quietly. Since he already had baggy shorts on and a t-shirt, he grabbed his phone and padded out to the living room and plopped down on the couch.

" _This is gonna be a long time off if I'm gonna be up all damn night,_ " Drew sighed, grabbing the remote to turn on the TV and lowering the volume a little so the sound didn't travel to wake anyone. " _And I've gotta shake these nerves. Even if dad doesn't approve of me being gay or my relationship with Rick, I already know mom and Andi support us and so does Rick's family, so it'll hurt if he or even my other sisters or brothers-in-laws don't support us, but I know I'll still have some support. I'm just hoping things go smoothly... It's going to go smoothly; it will. I just have to keep telling myself that,_ " he thought as he channel surfed, not really interested in watching TV, but it was something to do.

It was the early hours of Saturday morning, so there wasn't a lot to choose from to watch, so he settled on an all-day movie station that was playing a movie he liked. It was about half over, so he settled his head on the couch's throw pillow and set the remote aside, " _I'll watch the rest of this and then go back to bed._ "

~*~

Sometime while sleeping, Rick ended up on his back, which woke him up when he got uncomfortable. With his eyes closed, he rolled to his side and reached out for his fiancé but found the space he'd been empty. Opening his eyes, Rick looked around and was surprised to find him missing and the sheets were cool to the touch, so he'd been gone a while. Taking a moment to listen for talking or a sign Drew was up, and not hearing anything, he got a little worried and reluctantly tossed the blankets off and sat up. Grabbing his crutches, he pushed himself up and tucked them under his arms as he looked at the clock and saw it was six-am.

Moving out of the bedroom, in search of his fiancé, Rick reached the living room, to see the TV on and immediately knew where Drew was. Moving a little closer to the couch, he found Drew stretched out on the couch, sound asleep, " _oh, babe. Why couldn't you sleep in bed?_ " Rick wondered, going to sit down on the edge of the couch next to his fiancé and reached out, resting a hand on his shoulder, "hey, sweetie. What are you doing out here?" Rick asked softly.

Not expecting the touch, Drew snapped awake quickly and gasped a little as he looked around, "huh? What?"

"Whoa, babe," Rick replied, pulling back a bit to let Drew calm down, "it's okay. Relax. It's just me," he murmured softly.

Drew took a deep breath and nodded, "sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just didn't expect it," he admitted, "what time is it?"

"It's after six," Rick replied.

"What?" Drew gasped, groaning, "damn it. I must have fallen asleep."

"It's okay, but how did you end up out here?" Rick wondered.

"I woke up a few hours ago and since I couldn't just fall back to sleep, I came out here, so my restlessness didn't wake you up. I figured I'd watch the rest of the movie on TV, but I don't remember it ending, so I must have fallen asleep out here," he sighed, "sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about, I just woke up and you weren't in bed. I got concerned," Rick told him.

Drew sat up a little and wrapped his arms around his fiancé and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I'm still nervous," he replied, knowing what he was asking, "I just keep telling myself it's gonna be okay."

Rick nodded, "it will be. I think there's someone who might be a good person to talk to about this, too, and I can't believe I never thought about it sooner. He knows what it's like to have a son come out to him."

"Your dad?" Drew asked softly and when Rick nodded he took a deep breath, "honestly, I was going to call him, but I didn't know if it was a sore subject. You've never told me the whole story about what happened between you two when you came out and I know you guys have gotten past it, but I just didn't know if he'd be willing to talk about it."

"He is. I talked to him last night. He's got a few hours left in his 24-hour shift, but if you want to talk to him, call him," Rick told him.

Drew nodded, "okay. I'll call him later," he paused and eyed Rick, "should we go back to bed or is it time to get up?"

"It's vacation; we go back to bed," Rick laughed lightly, "it's too early to be up," he added, pushing himself up and tucking his crutches under his arms.

"Sounds good to me," Drew admitted, getting up and following him back to their room. Once inside, Drew closed the door and watched his fiancé return to bed and then moved towards him, "do we actually have to go back to sleep right now?" Drew wondered, catching Rick and kissing him before he laid back down.

Rick smirked and could tell what he meant, "I don't know. You up for that while your sister is down the hall?" He asked, shifting to stand up and face his fiancé, wrapping his arms around his neck, "because I definitely wouldn't object," he added, kissing him again.

"If she expected us to refrain from sex while we're here, she's crazy," Drew muttered, slipping his arms around Rick's waist and holding him close, his hands trailing up Rick's back under his shirt.

Feeling Drew's hands on his back sent sparks throughout his body and he leaned into him, both reacting to being so close, "I've been home a month, and it still doesn't feel like we've made up for all the time I was gone, glad we're gonna take some more time for us," he murmured, kissing Drew again.

Drew nudged him to sit down and as Rick sat on the bed and moved back up to the pillows to lay down, Drew crawled on top of him, "well, babe, there's no time like the present to start."

~*~

Rick was the first wake up a little later and found himself draped over his fiancé, and for a moment, not only did he have to figure out where he was, but he also had to figure out if he and Drew had really made love or if it was in his dreams. He quickly remembered they were at Andi's house and once he glanced down and noticed both he and Drew were missing shirts he knew, " _definitely not a dream,_ " he smirked, shifting a little to glance at the clock and saw it was after eight.

"Don't get up," Drew muttered, able to tell by the way his fiancé was moving that he was awake.

"Didn't plan on it," Rick replied with a grin as he settled against his pillow, on his back, "at least not for a while."

"Good," Drew smiled and rolled to his side and snaked his arm around Rick's chest and kissed him, "sorry I disappeared from bed earlier."

Rick reached up and brushed his hand along Drew's cheek, "it's okay. I get it."

Drew nodded and settled against Rick as he laid on his back, resting his hand gently on Rick's chest, "maybe we should get dressed."

"Wouldn't hurt and maybe in a while we could go see what Andi's up to," Rick replied, joining his hand with Drew's.

"Yeah and find something to eat," Drew agreed, closing his eyes, "I wish we could just have a lazy day."

"Babe, if you wanna be lazy, we can. We're on vacation. Sure, there's the family dinner later, but that doesn't mean before it we have to do fifty things just because we're here," Rick told him, bushing his thumb over Drew's hand.

"That's true," Drew shrugged, "I guess I just figured everyone is gonna wanna hang out at some point while we're here, so we're not going to have a lot of free time."

"Yeah and we'll be back in a few months, so not everything has to be done right now," Rick replied, "but I know what you're getting at."

Drew nodded and took a deep breath, pushing himself to sit up a little, "I'm kinda hungry. Maybe we should get up."

"Okay, let's get up," Rick shrugged, sitting up next to his fiancé, "I'm open for anything."

~*~

Getting dressed and padding out to the kitchen, the guys found Andi watching the Food Network, sipping on a cup of coffee, "morning guys," she waved, "did you sleep _well_?"

"Yeah, as good as can be expected," Drew admitted, oblivious to what exactly she was hinting at.

Rick shook his head and moved to sit down on the couch next to Andi, his cheeks flushing, "how much did you hear?"

"Not everything, but enough to know you guys enjoyed _something_ this morning," she winked, "and I also learned the house has thinner walls than I expected."

"Andrea!" Drew exclaimed as he came from the kitchen with two cups of coffee, one for him and one for Rick.

"What? I don't have a problem with you guys having sex. You love each other and are engaged," she told him them with a shrug, "are we not supposed to talk about that?"

Drew sat on the recliner near the couch and shared a look with his fiancé, "I didn't figure you'd have a problem with that, I just didn't realize you'd hear us."

"And we've only been 'out' completely for a short time, so we're still getting used to talking about each other or the things we do, behind closed doors, so to speak," Rick added and Drew nodded in agreement, "not that we share details, but just admitting to others that we have sex is a big deal for us."

"I don't deny that," Andi replied, "but you guys don't have to hide from me, honestly. I know you sleep together and having sex is a natural step in a relationship, so you don't have to be embarrassed or anything, though I do get what you mean. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably feel the same way."

Rick smiled at her and nodded, "thank you. Of anyone in your family, I imagine you and Drew are the closest, so to get your blessing and support means the world to me, to us," he glanced over at Drew.

"I agree," Drew nodded and got up, moving to lean against the arm of the couch next to Rick, "and I'm thankful you two get along, because both of you are my best friends and I don't know what I'd do without either one of you."

Andi put her coffee down on the table and turned to them, "you're my best friend, too," she told her brother and then looked at Rick, "Rick, I know we've only known each other a short time, but I've never seen my brother happier and anyone who can capture his heart like you have is alright in my book and I already consider you my brother and best friend, too."

Rick smiled at her and took her hand in his, "and you're my sister and best friend, too. I honestly can't express how good hearing that makes me feel. I just hope I'm able to continue to make him happy."

Drew leaned over and pressed a kiss to Rick's lips and smiled at him, "I'm pretty sure you'll be able to."

~*~

Letting their conversation settle, Rick, Drew and Andi finally got moving and had breakfast together, before going to get ready for the day. By then, it was after nine-am and Andi had let the guys shower first, and once they were done, she showered.

"When do you think your dad will be available to talk?" Drew wondered as they dug through their bags for clothes to put on.

Rick glanced at the clock and saw what time it was, "well, he got off shift at eight-am Pacific Time, so it was nine-am New Mexico time. He should be home by now. As soon as I'm dressed I can text him and see if he's free to talk."

"Thanks," Drew smiled as he put on some briefs and then grabbed a t-shirt.

Quickly getting dressed, Rick reached over and grabbed his phone and sent his dad a message asking him if he was free. Alan returned his message a few minutes later telling him he was, so Rick passed on the information and Drew walked over to sit down next to him on the bed, holding his phone in his hand, "you sure he's cool with talking?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Rick promised, resting his hand on his shoulder, "you okay if I stay or would you rather be alone?" He asked curiously.

"Stay. I don't have anything to hide from you," Drew told him honestly.

"I never thought you did, but I want you to realize that even though he's my dad, he's your dad, too. You can talk to him anytime you want, you don't need me around to do it," Rick explained.

Drew smiled and nodded, "thanks. I guess this is what any couple goes through when they go from single to engaged and married to someone. They both take on the others' family," he replied softly.

"Yeah, they do," Rick kissed his fiancé, as he rested his arm on Drew's shoulder, "and I'm totally okay with sharing."

"I appreciate that, and I feel the same way," Drew admitted, "you and Andi seem to be getting along pretty well."

Rick smiled, "she's great. Reminds me of you; must be the twin thing, but I think if you two weren't related, we would still be friends. And it's nice getting to know you through and around your family. This is all new to me. You've known my family for years, but I'm just meeting yours."

Drew's eyes widened as he gasped, "babe, I'm so sorry! All this time I've been worried about coming out to my family and I can't believe it never occurred to me that you were meeting them for the first time! Sure, you've met my mom and Andi, but I have two other sisters, they have husbands and both couples have kids... And my dad..."

"Why are you apologizing?" Rick asked curiously, "you don't need to. We made that decision together, remember? Since I was out to my family, you were comfortable going to visit them and let them know about us, because they'd keep quiet. You weren't ready to tell your family, and I understood and respected your decision and knew when you were ready, you'd tell them. I still feel that way and now we're here and you're ready, babe, so you have nothing to be sorry about. Sure, it has been tough that we've been hiding for so long, but I'm glad we're out officially. I'm tired of hiding who I am, because as we've said many times before, you mean more to me than labels," Rick assured him, "I knew this day would come in some way and I'm glad I can be here to support you and meet them at the same time."

"You're everything to me," Drew smiled, kissing Rick, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Rick replied, rubbing Drew's back gently and leaned in slightly to rest his chin on his shoulder, "now call."

Drew nodded and took a deep breath, pulling up Alan's number and calling Rick's dad, biting his lip as he waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, Drew," Alan greeted when he answered after the third ring.

"Hey, Alan," Drew blushed, putting him on speakerphone, "I didn't realize you had my number in your phone."

"Of course, I do. I have all my family's numbers in it," Alan told him, "how's New Mexico?"

"It's warm, but it's nice to be home. I'd missed it," Drew admitted, resting his hand on Rick's leg.

"That's understandable," Alan admitted, "how are you doing with all this? We haven't talked much since Rick got home."

Drew took a deep breath and honestly thought about his answer, "I'm doing alright. I'm not great in some ways, but it others I'm so happy, you know? Rick and I being engaged is great, but with the accident and everything that happened with Rick, there's been a lot thrown at us; it's a lot to process."

"I can only imagine. Well, I have gone through something similar, but not near what you have. Having Justin get hurt on my watch was tough to deal with," Alan commented, "and being so far away when Rick got hurt sucked, you know?"

"Yeah, I get ya," Drew agreed, closing his eyes for a moment, "I think I've handled things pretty well with what happened. It's still tough to remember, but I'm just glad he's alive. I don't know what I would have done if..." He trailed off, unable to really say it.

Rick's hand rubbed Drew's back gently, to silently reassure him he was there while they talked, knowing what he was getting at.

"Trust me, I definitely get that. I'm glad you were there for him. I know we've talked briefly a few times since it all happened, and I've told you before, but thank you," Alan replied, "you took care of my son when I couldn't."

Drew looked at Rick and smiled, "you're welcome, but you don't have to thank me. He means the world to me and I'm gonna be there for him no matter what. I love him."

"I know you do and that's what is important to me," the father replied, repeating what Drew said, "I want my kids to be happy and I know my son is with you. And I have another son. It's great!" He added, trying to lighten the mood.

"It is and I appreciate that you feel that way," Drew smiled, "I just wish I wasn't so nervous to come out to my dad."

"I know you know enough of what happened between me and Rick when he came out, so I won't go into that, but giving him the cold shoulder is one of my biggest regrets. I love him, and he will always be my son and I'm pissed that I turned my back on him. I always told my kids that if they were honest with me, I'd have their back, and I feel bad that for a time I didn't have his and I never should have acted like that," Alan explained, pausing to take a breath, "I know you're nervous to talk to your dad, and you have every right to be. I don't know your dad personally, so I can't say how he's going to react, but I'm pretty sure he loves you and is proud of you, even if he doesn't say it often and he'd rather that you be honest with him than hide who you are from him. I know I'm proud of you and I've got your back."

Drew smiled at what Alan said and was already feeling less nervous, "thank you. I'm trying to stay positive, but I guess I've just been worrying about what if he doesn't support me being gay or doesn't approve of my relationship with Rick. I want him to be okay with it all."

"If he doesn't take it well immediately, give him some time and he'll come around; it might not all happen at once. One day he'll be okay with it," Alan assured him, "I hope he takes less time to accept it all than I did. I still feel bad I put Rick through that and I hope you don't have to go through the same thing he did."

"So in other words, prepare for the worst and hope for the best?" Drew asked with a light laugh.

Alan shared his laugh, "I hate to say it, but yes. Just remember that your mom, sister and Rick already support you, so it's not like you're coming out to everyone in your family at the same time, like Rick was, so you've already got support there if he doesn't take it well."

"That is true," Drew agreed, taking a nervous deep breath and exhaling, "thanks, Alan."

"No problem, son... And I'm not just saying that. I mean it. You are my son. I may have taken some time to come around to Rick being gay, but ever since I met you and saw how happy you make my son, you've easily become a son to me. You're family."

Drew smiled and looked at his fiancé, before nodding to what Alan said, "I appreciate that, more than you know, dad."

"You're welcome," Alan assured him, "so my advice is to relax and spend time with your family. I know you haven't had a lot of time off since you saw them last, so enjoy the day and don't worry about what your dad is going to say or do. He'll say what he says, and you've got support there if you need it."

"Okay, I can do that," Drew nodded, "thanks. You wanna talk to Rick before we hang up?"

Alan laughed lightly, "yes, I have a bone to pick with him. Actually, put me on speakerphone. You both can hear this."

Drew raised a curious eyebrow at his fiancé, "you already are on speakerphone. What kind of 'bone' are you talking about?"

"Richard, what have you told your mother about coming to visit?" Alan asked with a laugh.

"I didn't say anything," Rick replied, laughing with his dad, "well, I did say we'd come visit this holiday season, but that's months away."

"That's what I thought, too, but she's already cleaning up your room and wants to rearrange it... Translation, Justin and I get to rearrange your room. Are you sure you aren't planning anything?" Alan wondered.

"Dad, I assure you. We're not planning any trips up there. Drew was just barely able to get a long weekend off at the hospital, since they're a little shorthanded, so he probably won't have any other time off until later this year and I don't know if I'll up for any solo traveling right now," Rick assured him, "I'm not saying I don't want to come up there, but right now, I don't think that's in the cards."

"Alright, I just wanted to check and make sure I hadn't missed a message about a visit," he sighed, "did she fuss over you a lot?"

"I wouldn't say a lot, but yeah, she'd fuss often, making sure my leg was propped up, that I wasn't in pain, that kind of stuff, why? Is she okay?" Rick asked concerned.

"She will be. This reminds me of what happened when Justin was born. She fussed over him a lot. He was first born and there was something we did around then that we regret, and she was like this, then, too," Alan explained.

Rick looked at his fiancé and took a deep breath, "okay. So, what's the regret? Were you guys like split up or something?" He wondered, not sure what his dad was getting at.

"No, nothing like that," Alan assured him, "it's nothing you need to worry about. I was just bringing this up, because I wasn't sure if she was fussing from being in a hurry to get your room ready for you to visit or if this was her way of calming down from regretting that she couldn't keep you from losing your leg. In the past, like when Justin was born, there was something we did we regretted, and she fussed over things for a while after that, as if trying to, I don't know, make things right in her mind. You know she fussed a lot when you kids would get hurt, too, especially when she couldn't prevent it and it was almost like her way to get over what happened. Anyway, it's nothing to worry about. She'll calm down in a few days, now that I know you guys aren't planning a visit anytime soon."

"It sure sounds like fussing is her coping mechanism," Drew commented.

"Definitely," Alan and Rick said at the same time, making the father and son laugh.

Ever since he was a teenager, Rick knew his parents were hiding something, but he'd never been able to put his finger on it. He knew they had regrets from before they had kids, but they were always tight lipped and changed the subject whenever either of them would start to talk about it, like the previous text messages with his dad the night before. Rick wanted to push his dad for more, but he knew he'd be shut down, so he chose not to try again. He just hoped that one day they'd stop beating around the bush and finally tell him and his siblings just what they did that they regretted so much that it still weighed on them enough to drop bits about 'it'. Now he knew it happened around when Justin was born, in 1977, which was more of a timeframe than they'd ever known before, "well, dad, we should probably finish getting ready, so we can get going. I think Drew wants to show me around Roswell and I'm curious if he's going to turn into a green-skinned alien and take me to his leader."

Alan and Rick both began laughing at his comment and Drew just glared at his fiancé, "it's not funny... Seriously, it's not."

"Come on, Drew, I've bit my tongue for _years_ , so I could wait until we were visiting Roswell to tease you!" Rick smirked, "give me a little freedom."

Drew sighed dramatically, "fine. I will take you to my flying saucer and we can _phone home_ ," he said in a very stereotypical 'alien' voice, slightly nasal and higher than he usually spoke. This caused Rick to fall back on the bed, his whole body shaking with laughter as Alan couldn't help continuing to laugh at the comments. Giving them a few moments to get their laughter out, once he could tell they were calming down, he decided to end the conversation, "we're gonna let you go, dad. We'll let you know how today goes."

"Alright. Just be yourselves and relax. I'm only a phone call away if you wanna talk," he assured them.

"Okay, thanks," Drew replied, smiling lightly.

Sharing goodbyes between the three of them, Drew hung up the phone and set it aside, before eyeing his fiancé, "are you done laughing at me?"

As he asked that, Rick began laughing at him again and shook his head, "apparently not!" Seeing Drew cross his arms over his chest and his face turn into almost a pout, Rick wrapped his arms around him and kissed his cheek, "come on, Drew, laugh a little. That was funny," his hands moved to rest on Drew's shoulders, gently massaging his tense muscles, "relax."

Drew's eyes fell closed for a moment as he took a deep breath and couldn't help the smirk grow on his lips, "I guess it was a little funny," he admitted, looking at Rick, "I just can't relax... I don't think I'll be able to until I'm finally out to the rest of my family."

Moving to take Drew's hands in his, Rick squeezed them gently and smiled at his fiancé, "just remember I'm gonna be right there with you. You're not in this alone."

"I know," Drew smiled at him and squeezed their hands, trying to relax a little as his nerves built, "and I'm trying to stay calm, but it's just not working right now. I'm really glad you're here, though. And like your dad said, it's not like I'm coming out to everyone. Just a few of them, so you'll be there and my mom, Andi and Maria, who apparently knows, so I'll have their support, too."

"Exactly," Rick nodded, "so what do you say we get ready and you can go show me around this interesting town before we go over to your parent's place," he suggested.

Drew smiled at him and nodded in reply, "yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

~*~

It was close to eleven-am before Drew and Rick finally got out of Andi's house. At first Drew drove around town, pointing out places he grew up going to, his schools, hangouts with his friends, but he was too nervous to play tour guide for long, so he drove east a little and went to Bottomless Lakes State Park.

He headed for an overlook parking lot that looked out over Lea Lake, one of the lakes in the park. From their spot, they could see that the lake was extremely calm, so much so that the top of the water looked like a mirror, reflecting an almost perfect image of its surroundings.

"Wow, this I did not expect," Rick admitted, looking out over the lake, taking in the gorgeous view of not only the water, the reflection and surroundings, but also the vision off in the distance of buildings he assumed was the town of Roswell, though most of the land was pretty flat so he could see for miles.

"This is one of my favorite views," Drew explained, turning the engine off and relaxing in his seat.

"I can see why. The view is amazing," Rick replied, glancing at his fiancé, "you're not up for this, are you?"

"Up for what? Being here with you? Of course I am," Drew glanced at him, but when Rick gave him an 'I'm not talking about that, you know what I'm talking about' glare, Drew sighed, "fine, I'm not sure I'm up for coming out to my dad. My family, yeah. My sisters and their husbands are going to support us or not care either way, but it's just dad's reaction that makes me nervous," he took a deep breath and reached for Rick's hand, "I'm ready to tell him, my stomach is just in knots, worrying about how he'll take it."

Rick nodded, "I know," he squeezed Drew's hand and relaxed, "I've been there, so I get it. Just look at it this way," Rick paused, glancing out at the view as he gathered his thoughts, "no matter how he takes it, you're still the same person you were before you told him. You're still a doctor, a soldier, an adult and he can't take that away from you. The only thing that changed is that you finally told him who you truly are. It's up to him to accept you. If he can't accept that you're gay, it's not your problem. You came clean with him, you told him the truth, even if it did take some time."

Drew smiled at him, "you're right," he agreed, taking a deep breath, before eyeing him, "so, my issues aside, how are _you_ doing?"

Raising a curious eyebrow at him, "I'm _fine_ ," Rick replied, unsure what he was getting at exactly.

"You know what that means, right?" Drew wondered.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Fucked-up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional," Rick sighed, shrugging, "skipping the neurotic part, I do kinda feel like the rest inside, but I'll get over it."

"I knew you've been hiding things from me," Drew shook his head and then had a thought, "or was it our family you were hiding from?"

"Mostly family. After what dad said this morning, I'm glad I hid things from my mom or she'd be worse. I just... I wanted her to think that things were okay, that I was dealing with everything well, so she wouldn't worry about me, but honestly, I'm a mess," Rick sighed, sinking back into his seat, "and I hate feeling like this. I also wanted to put my problems aside until after our trip, so I could really be your supportive fiancé. I want to be here for you, and I don't want you worrying about me."

"I'm going to worry about you and I appreciate that you want to support me, but I want to support you, too. I get hiding how you're really feeling from your mom and sister, but you could have pulled me aside or in all the times we had a few minutes alone, you could have said something. Or we could have gone out somewhere and talked," Drew reminded him.

"I know, but weeks ago, part of me was still numb to it all, but the more appointments we've had with Dan and with all the stuff we're learning about the prosthetic, the numbness is wearing off and it's just hitting me in the last week or so what this means. I'm pissed I lost my leg. I hate that we can't go wander around out there like I really want to right now, because I don't have a leg," Rick replied, finally admitting how he truly felt, "I know I'll get back to that one day, but damn it, I'm impatient and I'm just frustrated... And this is why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you worrying about this while we're here. I want to focus on you right now. We can deal with my issues later."

"It shouldn't be like that. We should deal with both of ours right now, or at least have them on their minds. I don't think either one of us should decide that one's problems, good or bad, is better or worse than the others," Drew told him, shifting to rest his hand on Rick's shoulder.

Rick smiled lightly at him and nodded, "that's true. I guess being in love gives us the right to always worry about the other, huh?"

"Something like that," Drew replied, gently squeezing Rick's shoulder, "we love each other and don't want to see the other hurt or upset, so if we can take the load off their shoulders, we will."

"We will," Rick agreed, smiling lightly. For a moment, he shook his thoughts away and decided it was best to change the subject, so he glanced around their location to see only a few cars nearby and could tell most everyone was closer to the lake's beach, "so is this Roswell's version of 'Make-out Point'?"

Shaking his head, Drew burst out laughing, "no, it's not. We'd have to go off-road for that, though I do definitely see the potential here," he admitted, looking around, "especially at night."

Rick smirked at him and nodded, "I see. You bring all your girlfriends here?" He winked, seeing if he could press him for more information about his past.

Drew eyed Rick for a moment and quickly figured out what he was doing, "honestly, no. This is one place I didn't bring them. Sure, we went to the lake," he motioned down to the water and beach, "but I never brought them up here. I wanted to have somewhere that was mine I could get away from everything."

"So why bring me?" Rick wondered.

"Because back then I had to hide who I was and when I was here, alone, I could get away from reality," Drew explained, taking a deep breath and sitting up a little straighter, "and now I can be Drew. I don't need to keep this secret anymore and there's only one person in this world I want to share everything with and that's you. I can be myself with you."

Rick smiled as he looked at his fiancé, seeing him a little more relaxed than he had been that morning, "I feel the same way about you," he admitted, happy to see that Drew was calming down and opening up a little about his life. Rick knew some things from his past, but Drew had always been so closed off about certain things. He knew being gay, Drew built a lot of walls to protect himself, so he'd be nervous and skeptical to let anyone in and up until recently he'd had to keep everything private. Sure, they'd known each other seven years and been together five, so they'd had a lot of time to learn about each other, and Drew's walls had slowly come down with Rick, but given Drew's fear to come out to his family, Rick could tell Drew didn't want to talk about the time when he wasn't being true to himself, which is why Rick hadn't learned a lot about Drew's past, but he was happy to see more of the man he fell in love with, "I'm proud of you, you know that right?"

For a few moments, Drew wondered what he was getting at, "of what exactly?" He asked, immediately having an idea, "oh, you mean you're proud that I'm opening up more about my past and finally telling my family the truth?"

"Yeah. I've been cool being with the man I met in Basic, who was from Roswell, New Mexico and didn't talk much about his past. Since we met, I've gotten to know the man you've become, and I love him more than anything, but I'm proud that you're sharing more about your life before we met and yes, I'm proud that you're ready to tell your family. That's a big step," Rick explained, reaching over and resting his hand on Drew's shoulder.

Drew leaned into Rick's touch and then shifted to wrap his arms around him in a hug, though with the center console, it was keeping them from getting too close, but it didn't stop him from saying what was on his mind, "I honestly don't think I'd have the courage to do this without your support. Like, I don't even think I'd be anywhere near ready to come out to my family if we weren't together. I know telling them is my decision, but I'm thankful for your loving encouragement and support, because it's helped me be ready for this."

"So in other words, you're thanking me for lovingly and metaphorically kicking you in the ass to do this, because you've waited too long?" Rick wondered, smirking at his fiancé.

"Yeah, pretty much. Someone had to rip the Band-Aid off and I'm glad you helped. I don't know if I would have been able to do it myself," Drew replied with a laugh.

"I appreciate the acknowledgement, but I think you would have been able to. It may have just taken you a little longer," Rick told him with a shrug, since they hadn't pulled apart yet, and turned his head to press a kiss to Drew's cheek.

Just as Rick turned, Drew did as well, and their lips met in a light kiss. Drew didn't hesitate to hold his fiancé close, continuing and deepening the kiss, feeling a lot more relaxed and open to sharing PDA with him than they'd ever shared before. Rick had always been more open about PDA with Drew, but he knew Drew had held his reservations and since they'd only just come out a month prior, both were still getting used to being able to share PDA all the time; not just in Washington, around Rick's family who already knew they were together. Even on their vacations they'd take together, they limited their physical contact, so for Rick to see Drew initiating more was another indication that Drew was ready to come out to his family and Rick was so happy and proud to see this side of his fiancé.

Before either one could say anymore, Drew's phone beeped in his pocket. With a sigh, he shifted to dig it out and saw a text message from his sister.

**Andi Alister (Sister):** At mom and dad's. Maria and Michael are here already with the kids and they wanna know where you are. I can stall for a while, but they know you stayed at my place last night. And dad's not here right now. He went to the school for a few hours to check in on things and see what he's got to catch up on after being gone. Mom's pissed, because she thought he'd be here to BBQ.

Showing Rick the message, Drew glanced at the time and saw it was already after one in the afternoon, "what do you think we should do?"

Rick shrugged, "as much as I enjoy this view," he motioned to the lake and surrounding area, "we can see this anytime. You're only off for a few days, so I think we should go spend the time with your family. I'm alright with that, if you are."

Drew contemplated Rick's words and nodded, typing back a message to his sister.

**Drew:** We'll be over in like 45 minutes. At Lea Lake right now.  
 **Andi Alister (Sister):** Ooo! Hope I didn't interrupt anything important! ;)  
 **Drew:** See you in a while, sis!

Smirking as he purposely didn't respond to what she said, he pocketed his phone and glanced at his fiancé, "ready?"

"I am. Are you?"

Taking a deep breath, Drew glanced out over the view and nodded, "I am."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed! I love you all and thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! I know this may seem like a filler chapter, but I think it was needed for several conversations that were had.  
> A/N5: Next chapter, we introduce the rest of the Alisters and it's gonna span several chapters. This chapter and one more were written years ago, and then I have maybe two or three chapters of new stuff, so lots of 'Stronger Together' to go! I've got most of the summer planned out and have a vague idea of when I'll start including storylines from episodes in seasons 2-4. Lots to come, but it's going to be my twist on things, just so you know. I have so many plans for them! I'm also still upset Night Shift was canceled!  
> A/N6: I've been working on some short Drewick stories to be included in a series I'm working on. 'Stronger Together' takes priority, but these stories are helping use ideas I've come up with that don't fit into 'Stronger Together' or into the canon of 'Night Shift'. I have so many ideas for these guys, I needed to write them down. The first story is done, just needs to be edited, so be on the lookout for it sometime soon!   
> A/N7: You can catch me on Twitter as EJ8302. Also, I appreciate all the responses and reviews I get, but I feel bad that I don't always have time to reply to them. Please don't take this personally. Any of the messages I get are loved, but when I get them, I'm not always at home to respond to them on the computer (my phone doesn't do website stuff well and I don't like the apps for LJ, FF or AO3), so I try my best to respond when I can. Please know that I love you guys and appreciate all of you for reading and giving me any kind of response!


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